Second Chances
by Morganalafay
Summary: Morgana needed a second chance. But she wasn't the only one. With the return of an old nemesis, will Arthur and Merlin make the right decisions? Pairs Mergana, Arwen, and never seen before Lancelot/Morgause. Complete.
1. Prologue

_**Ok this is only my second merlin fanfic.**_

_**i never really liked the way the made Morgana and Morgause bad so here goes**_

_**this is set between the Coming of Arthur Part 1 and the Coming of Arthur part 2**_

_**did anyone ever wonder why Morgause didnt know that Morgana fell down the stairs and nearly died? this story covers that :)**_

**_enjoy_**

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_**A Prophecy **_

_Morgana, Morgause, Merlin and Arthur_

_Two Sorceresses, A Warlock and the Once and Future King_

_One will make a choice, a choice that will define the future of everyone she cares about_

_One will fall in love and prevent one of the biggest disasters of Camelot; a love triangle between a knight, a king and a queen_

_One will learn to forgive and love again and realise that he can be happy and fulfil his destiny _

_One will find family in surprising people and realise that that is the most important thing._

_One will become the greatest king of all time_

_Two will become two of the greatest sorceresses ever known_

_One will become one of the most powerful warlocks the world has ever seen_

_A Warlock, Two Sorceresses; each has a power never seen before, matched only by each other_

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Prologue

Arthur watched as Merlin approached him. In his hand he held a shinning golden sword one of the finest Arthur had ever seen. Merlin stopped in front of him and held out the sword. Arthur stretched out a hand, hesitated then grasped its hilt. The hilt fit into his hand as if it was where made for him. With a flick of his wrist he swung it aloft, twirled it, threw it from hand to hand, and then steadied it.

'This is Excalibur, it was made for you and only you and it can kill the immortal soldiers' said Merlin speaking very solemnly.

Arthur laughed then sheathed the sword. 'Thanks Merlin' he said, and then turning on his heel he marched passed Lancelot, Gawain and Elaine.

'Where are you going?' Merlin cried. That hadn't been what he was expecting, the thanks yes, the walking away no.

'I'm going to speak to Morgana' replied Arthur increasing his pace. Merlin, Lancelot, Gawain and Elyan exchanged a frightened look.

'Arthur wait!' yelled Merlin. Running forward he blocked Arthurs way 'you can't go talk to her she will destroy you or if she's really in a good mood she'll throw you in the dungeon and watch you die slowly!'

Arthur said in a flat voice 'You don't know her Merlin; I do and just because you've given up on her doesn't mean you're right!'

'Arthur do you know how long I've known that she was on Morgause's side? Do you know how many times I've tried to make her see reason? I've given her so many second chances that I've lost count!' retorted Merlin hotly.

Arthur laughed 'Maybe if you hadn't been so convinced that she was on the other side she would have listened! Maybe she would have listened if you had told her about your magic!'

Arthur watched Merlin's face whiten with shock. Finally he managed to gather himself enough to say 'You know, how long have you known?'

'Long enough to feel disappointed every time you had the chance to tell me and didn't' Arthur spoke coldly. He sighed 'Listen Merlin you're my friend even though I hate to admit it I think I understand why you didn't tell me... look I'll explain another time' he walked passed Merlin towards Camelot.

Lancelot, Gawain and Elyan followed him 'hey Arthur wait!' called Gawain. Arthur stopped and turned 'what about Morgause?' asked Gawain.

Arthur hesitated then said 'I've been thinking about this for the past few days, I know that Morgana and Morgause are very alike, I know that they both want the same thing... I'm prepared to give it to them'

'That doesn't really answer my question' said Gawain

Arthur turned and continued walking, his four friends watching him, and stopped at the edge of the forest 'maybe Morgana isn't the only person who needs a second chance'


	2. A Choice

**ok second chapter up :)**

**i hoped you enjoyed my first one (even though it wasnt that long)**

**in this chapter an old enemie returns (just a little clue)**

**enjoy**

Morgana watched as the doors slowly opened revelling Arthur, Merlin, Lancelot, Gawain and Elyan. As the door closed behind them Morgana saw her two guards lying on their backs quite clearly dead. Her half-brother walked slowly closer holding a magnificent sword in his hand. Morgana's eyes opened wide, even from the other side of the hall she could feel the power radiating off that sword that was the reason they had been able to reach her unscathed. Beside her Morgause, dressed as usual in her red silk dress that outlined her slender figure, turned to fully face their guests. Arthur and his company stopped a few meters away and watched them wearily, then Arthur stepped forward away from the others and waited only about a meter away. Morgause opened her mouth to speak and stopped. Morgana's elegant hand had shot out and grasped Morgause by her slender wrist. Morgause looked down at her sister to see that Morgana was staring up at her intently clearly trying to tell her that something was wrong. Releasing Morgause's wrist Morgana stood up and slowly began to walk over to her half brother who had been watching the exchange with some interest. She stopped about two paces away from him and looked him up and down noting that he was doing the same. Arthur, much to the displeasure of Merlin, sheathed his sword and said 'you're looking well'

Morgana gave him a small smile 'so are you surprisingly, I heard last that you were shot in the leg' she found herself surprised because she was genially worried about his health.

There was a small silence then Morgana said 'I see here we have a slight problem, you have a wondrous magical sword and I have magic, so we're sort of at a crossroads'

'You forget' said Arthur with a grin 'that if it came to a sword fight I could easily bet you'

'Is that a challenge?' asked Morgana smiling 'we both know that I have beaten you more than once'

'That never happened! Though speaking of advantages I have the mystical Merlin on my side'

Merlin felt his blood run cold as Morgana turned her beautiful green eyes on him 'oh yes the great warlock I'd forgotten about him. Oh don't look so surprised Merlin I've known for some time that you have magic' turning back to Arthur she said 'but you forget that I have Morgause so once again were tied.'

There was a comfortable pause in which Morgana said quietly 'what do you want Arthur? You clearly have some demand in mind or you wouldn't be here'

She watched Arthur flinch then say 'you were never meant to be Queen'

She sighed then whispered 'I know I didn't want to be but your too much like your father Arthur we can't afford someone who is going to prosecute our people'

Arthur put on a hurt expression 'I take that as an insult' then he looked more serious 'you have no idea how much I hate the way my father rules, how much I understand how you feel... he is responsible for the death of my mother and so many other people.'

Morgana stared at him 'I didn't know you felt that way'

'Well I do. Another thing, you do realise that your being a hypocrite? You hate Uther because he hurts innocent people and you're doing the same thing to the citizens of Camelot' said Arthur watching Morgana carefully for her reply.

At this point Merlin looked over towards Morgause wanting to see her reaction to what was happening and saw something very strange. Morgause wasn't watching the proceedings at all. One of her hands was holding her head, her eyes were tightly shut and her beautiful face was screwed up in pain, her other hand was resting on the arm of her chair as if she was trying to support herself and her whole body was shaking violently. Merlin blinked and found himself strangely concerned because whatever was happening to Morgause looked bad, very bad. Morgause was now holding her head in both her hand, her whole body shaking more violently then before and then suddenly it stopped. Morgause straitened up and raised her head her eyes moving back to Arthur and Morgana and as Merlin stared at her he started because for a fraction of a second he had been sure that when she had raised her head her eyes had been a startling electric blue. Merlin jerked his head back to Morgana and Arthur having heard Morgana's outraged cry of 'what?' and continued to watch, every now and then looking back at Morgause and wondering if what he had seen had been his imagination.

Arthur stagged back slightly at the force of Morgana's cry then gathering himself said 'I mean all those people being terrorized out there' he had been surprised by Morgana's cry he had expected something totally different.

'Terrorized? I haven't given any orders for them to be terrorized! I'm not a tyrant!' she said in outrage.

'Well that's what I see out there!' replied Arthur. Morgana was frowning, it was clear that she was puzzled then suddenly comprehension dawned on her face and she turned suddenly to face Morgause and said 'you said that they wouldn't be hurt, that they would be treated fairly' her voice held an accusing note.

In reply Morgause smiled 'they are being treated fairly'

'But there innocent!' said Morgana harshly

'Do you really believe that? For twenty years they have allowed Uther to rule unjustly'

'They had no choice! If they had so much as lifted a finger against his rule he would of had them executed on the spot! It was different when I stood up to him- I was his ward!' Morgana continued to stare at Morgause who said 'I never looked at it that way'

There was no apology; no 'you're right sorry' and it puzzled Merlin. Morgause had let an opportunity to kill Uther go to save Morgana's life so she obviously cared about her...so why the cold voice, the blank face?

Morgana, clearly puzzled, turned back to Arthur and said 'sorry I didn't know they were being hurt or I would have done something, so what is it that you want?'

'I want you to hand the crown over to me-' Arthur began

'And then leave and never come back?' interrupted Morgana

'No!' said Arthur harshly 'I want you to stay! When I become King I am going give every single person who has magic and has acted against Camelot a second chance that includes the Druids, you and Morgause!'

Morgana stared a look of sudden hope flaring on her face 'you would do that?'

'Of course Morgana! How could you ever think otherwise?' cried Arthur grinning. Morgana hesitated then said 'I was happy here and if magic was allowed...' she took a deep breath and smiled 'all right I'll stay' she then took off her crown and placed it on Arthurs fair head at which he said in mock surprise 'its heavy' to which they both laughed, then in a very unArthurly gesture he hugged Morgana tightly.

Over Arthurs shoulder Morgana stared at Merlin who was looking at her rather anxiously and smiled an apologetic and forgiving smile that made Merlin grin back at her in relief. When Arthur let her go she stood back and smiled at him when suddenly a voice said 'well this is very touching' it was a voice dripping in sarcasm.

Morgana stepped sideways and turned to look at Morgause who was smiling a cold smile that sent chills up their backs.

Morgause continued 'I'm sorry to say that I don't like touching scenes'

Morgana frowned and said 'but this is what you want Morgause. We both wanted a King who would bring magic back.'

'No I'll think you will find that that is not what I want' said Morgause

'But you always said that was what you wanted so what's changed?' asked Morgana.

Morgause smiled and said 'you're a smart girl Morgana I'm sure you can figure it out' there was a mocking tone in Morgause's voice that Merlin suddenly realised he had heard before.

Stepping forward so that he was standing beside Morgana he said 'the reason is that she is not Morgause' the fit Morgause had had before suddenly made sense to him.

'Well done, one to the warlock!' said Morgause 'no I'm not Morgause, this is her body but shall we say that I have temporarily moved in'

Merlin was aware of Lancelot, Gawain and Elyan moving to stand so that the six of them where standing in a line facing Morgause. Morgana was aware of none of that. Her instinct now that she knew that Morgause wasn't Morgause was not to find out whom it was but to find out where her sister was.

'What have you done with Morgause' she asked. Merlin heard a note in her voice he hadn't heard in a long time, a dangerous yet fearful tone that tugged at something in his chest.

'I haven't done anything with her. When I believe a month or two ago she was waiting for you in the forest and you took a little tumble down the stairs she felt your pain and in a panic stretched her mind out towards you accidentally leaving her mind open to any form of mental attack. I took the opportunity to make myself welcome; you see I have been watching your sister for a while waiting for the opportunity' Morgause who was not Morgause smirked at Morgana's shocked expression.

'Why have you been watching her?' asked Morgana

'Because she is very powerful; just as powerful as you and Merlin. Oh and because it meant that I would have access to what was going on here'

Merlin felt out raged, this person was deliberately playing on Morgana's affections for her sister 'who are you? He asked sharply

The woman laughed sending a chill down Morgana's spine. It was so strange seeing Morgause open her mouth to laugh and hearing a completely different laugh come out. She felt Merlin take her wrist preventing her from doing anything rash. 'I'm surprised at you Merlin I would think that you would have guessed by now.' She smirked 'let me help you. The only person who would want to take over someone's body would be someone who didn't have a body of their own. So who do you know that would wait a few years then take their revenge on you by using someone who means a lot to someone that you care about? Who do you know that would have the patience to wait a long time?' Merlin was frowning at her, the more and more she talked the more she sounded familiar yet he still couldn't place it.

Morgause sighed 'you know for 'The Great Warlock' you are very slow' she smiled suddenly 'let me help you'. At that Morgause's eyes changed in a flash from a beautiful brown to a startling electric blue. Merlin stared, they looked wrong in Morgause's face yet he immediately knew who had taken over Morgause's body and he became frightened because the person standing before him was someone who had almost killed him on more than one occasion and someone who to his knowledge had waited over fifteen years to take her revenge on Uther. The person standing before him in Morgause's body was Nimueh.

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HA! bet you didnt expect that! i will up date as soon as possible :)

** please review**

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	3. Revelations

_**hey every one. sorry to all my fans about the length of time this has taken. thank you everyone for all your reviews they really helped me to continue.**_

_**ok every one some hints in this chapter**_

_**1. A new character apears**_

_**2. we find out more about who morgana and morgause are**_

_**hop you all enjoy this chapter

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'You!' yelled Merlin surprised to hear himself echoed by both Morgana and Arthur. He heard Arthur yell 'you left me to die!' then to his surprise he heard Morgana say 'I saw you die! You where struck by lightning!'

Nimueh smiled, a smile that looked all wrong in Morgause's face and said 'I have to admit for someone not trained in magic you are a very powerful Seer' she turned to Merlin 'do you know that he killed me?'

Morgana replied though clenched teeth 'yes'

There was a silence which was broken be Lancelot speaking for the first time 'if your such a powerful sorceress as to be able to come back after you where killed then why take over someone's body why not just make yourself one?' his voice was surprisingly fierce

Nimueh looked rather surprised then said 'a long time ago during the Great Purge I placed a spell on myself so that if I was killed by magic the spell would kill someone else and I would live on. I didn't count that my body would be blasted into a million pieces. So after Merlin killed me only my conscience remained. I was weak, very weak so over the past few years I have been drifting in and out of peoples bodies and taking their energy... the stronger I became the more my magic returned. Then not very long ago I began watching Camelot waiting for an opportunity to take my revenge, I was not yet strong enough to create a body of my own. The only way to reach my full strength in less than a few years would be to inhabit someone who had a powerful magic for a while. Than over a year ago your sister' she indicated Morgana 'was kind enough to try and get Arthur to kill his father which brought her to my attention. It was too risky to inhabit Morgana because Merlin would notice so I waited; following Morgause till the time came when she left herself venerable.'

Morgana said sharply 'you've been controlling Morgause ever since I realised I was Uther's daughter!'

'Not completely it takes to much strength I just manipulated her thoughts and a lot of what she said though I let her speak to you naturally. But mostly I just remained in her absorbing her energy, not her magic obviously' Nimueh laughed suddenly 'she has no way of regaining control! What Merlin saw a minuet ago was me regaining full control. She doesn't even know that she is being possessed!'

'You have been taking her energy for that long! Why don't you create your own body surely you have enough energy by now!' spat Morgana

Nimueh smiled 'because I like being in this body. Morgause is incredibly powerful and when I add my own power...' she let the threat hang in the air.

At that Morgana lost it. Completely forgetting that Nimueh had just said that she was far more powerful than any of them and that it was in fact someone she cared deeply about standing in front of her Morgana suddenly and without warning thrust her hand out before her. Without even an incantation a sudden burst of flame shot out of her hand towards Morgause who simply flicked her wrist and the fire ball went spinning away. Nimueh gave a mock pout 'now now you know that if you hurt me your hurting Morgause!'

Morgana was almost shaking with fury 'let my sister go!'

Nimueh's face became suddenly dangerous 'or what? You forget that I just have to wave my hand and-' she waved her hand at them and all six of them went flying.

Merlin as he flew though the air yelled an incantation that lowered them slowly to the ground. He heard a laugh 'well Merlin you have certainly excelled since I last saw you'

Morgana, Merlin and Arthur tuned to face her pulling themselves to their feet. And because they were facing her they were the only ones who saw what happened next. There was a sudden flash of white light in the centre of the hall and a tall woman appeared her hand extended towards Nimueh. There was another flash and Nimueh went flying across the room, hit the opposite wall and slid to the flour.

In the shocked silence that followed the tall slender woman who was dressed in a simple yet beautiful slim green dress crossed the room towards Nimueh and kneeled down beside her. Morgana glanced at Merlin and the two of them followed her. Merlin stopped beside her while Morgana knelt down beside her sister. Merlin heard Arthur coming up behind them and heard him move to stand beside him. Merlin stared at the strange sorceress who was kneeling by Morgause's head checking her pulse, he could feel the power radiating off her in waves, here was someone he didn't want to cross. Morgana kneeling directly opposite her studied her. She had long golden brown hair that tumbled down her back in lose curls; she had a fine jaw line and a beautiful face with slender curved eye brows. Her fingers where long and slender and she was tall and very slim. Yet it was her eyes that struck her first; they where a startling emerald green framed by long black lashes.

Morgana, observing all of this, said quietly 'is she all right?' the sorceress looked up at her, their eyes meeting for a second, then looked back down at Morgause saying 'yes she's unconscious but she will be fine in a minuet' she had a clear musical voice that strangely soothed Morgana. The three of them watched as the sorceress placed her fingers on Morgause's head and muttered something. Merlin who was watching with some interest realised that now she was unconscious he was thinking of Morgause as Morgause again 'what happened to Nimueh?' he asked anxiously

The sorceress looked up at him 'I just banished her from Morgause's body'

'Were to?' asked Arthur

'To the Island of the Blessed' replied the sorceress moving Morgause slightly then said 'she will need a lot of rest. Nimueh has been sucking her energy for the past few months and I'm afraid that she is pretty weak' she looked up at Arthur 'I trust that your hospitality extends to family?'

Arthur nodded without hesitation 'of course' there was a slight pause when Arthur blinked then said 'what do mean family?'

The sorceress looked up at him in surprise and said 'she's your half-sister'

Arthur stared at her 'what?' the sorceress looked from Arthur then to Morgana then back again and said 'surely you two know that she is your elder half-sister?'

Morgana said in shock 'she can't be. Arthur and I are half brothers though Uther'

The sorceress shook her head 'no you and Morgause are full sisters and you are both related to Arthur though Igraine'

Arthur and Morgana stared at her their eyes wide and full of disbelief 'but Uther confessed to Gaius that I was his daughter!' said Morgana

'And my mother told me that she couldn't conceive!' cried Arthur in a slightly accusing tone.

The sorceress hesitated then turned to Morgana 'Uther believes that you are his daughter, it's true that he had an affair with Vivienne your step-mother but nothing came of it' then glancing at Arthur she said 'your mother wasn't barren; Uther was'

'What?' yelled Arthur and Morgana 'Uther was barren? How do you know all this?' asked Arthur

The sorceress raised an eye brow then said 'I'll explain later' turning back to Morgause she placed a hand on her forehead saying 'how long will it take for the coronation to take place?'

Arthur frowned 'umm...if I'm crowned tomorrow...probably an hour, give or take'

'And you will address the people in the town square directly after that?' asked the sorceress

'Yes, that's when I'm planning to announce the new law about magic' replied Arthur

'And how long will it take for that law to be fully established?'

'well once I've said it in front of the citizens and nobles they will become the witnesses but it will take a day or two for it to be written down and for all the proceedings to take place' Arthur frowned 'why?'

'because I think it's a good idea to keep Morgause out of site till then, she will be in bed for a while so that's not a problem' replied the sorceress

'Why?' asked Merlin

'Because at least until the law is announced in front of witnesses Uther still has a claim to her head' she looked up at them 'and until law that people with magic are to be treated as normal people are is written down and fully established Uther can still try and kill her and claim that he was taking justice into his own hands'

'That's barbaric!' cried Merlin in outrage

'No' said Morgana quietly 'its Uther'

Arthur frowned slightly and said to Morgana 'is that room next to yours still free?' when she nodded he said 'is Gwen still the only person who goes in there?'

Morgana smiled fondly and nodded 'yes she calls it her thinking room' suddenly realizing what Arthur was thinking she said 'Oh! Yes that's a good idea, no one but Gwen ever goes in there, and it's a lot like mine so if I'm seen going in there no one would think anything of it. Same for Arthur or Merlin because to everyone else he is just another servant'

The sorceress nodded then waved her hand over Morgause, much in the same way someone would wave a fly away, and Morgause vanished. Morgana gave an involuntary start forward then felt someone place a hand on her shoulder. It was a gesture that could have meant anything but it reminded her that Morgause had been sent to her room where she would be able to start full recovery. Morgana glanced up behind her slightly surprised when she found that it was Merlin and he didn't remove his hand. Morgana stood up and watched as the sorceress did the same then watched as she crossed the hall and stopped in front the trio of knights who all looked slightly bemused. The sorceress spoke to them quietly then the three of them nodded and walked to the door, turned and smiled at Arthur, Merlin and Morgana and left.

The sorceress then crossed the hall again and stopped in front of them folding her arms 'so what do you want to know, keep in mind that I can tell you everything later and that we only have a limited time before we will have to tell everyone what has happened' she waited expectantly

There was a slight hesitation then Merlin said 'first of all who are you?'

The sorceress smiled slightly 'my name is Helena de Bois'

Arthur frowned 'wasn't my mother's maiden name de Bois?' at Helena's nod he blinked then said 'so your my...'

'I'm your aunt'

There was a slight pause during which Morgana and Arthur stared at her 'how come we have never heard of you? When we were growing up we had to study the noble families and I've never heard that my mother had a sister' said Morgana frowning

Helena sighed 'I'm sure you know that your mother had an elder brother Tristan?' when they nodded she continued 'what most people don't know is that there was a third de Bois child born sixteen years after your mother was. When your mother died at 24 and the Great Purge began I was eight. Uther made sure I was not included in the records because I was already learning how to control my magic (when the Great Purge was about to begin Tristan took me to the Priestesses of the Old Religion). I'm sure that Uther didn't want it to be common knowledge that he was related to someone who had magic.'

'But we had a right to know that!' said Morgana in outrage

'Well even though Uther was mistaken in the fact that you were his daughter he had no idea that you were Igraine's' Helena frowned slightly 'is complicated...it's hard to explain...unless you knew or if magical tests were done there would be almost no proof that you're not Uther's daughter because Uther did have a affair with your step-mother' she hesitated then said 'I'll start from the beginning I suppose... Igraine and Gorlois had several affairs and Morgause was the result of one of those, at the time Igraine was 21. When Igraine became pregnant she knew that the child was Gorlois's because Nimueh had told her that Uther was barren, so she asked Nimueh to disguise the fact that she was pregnant, the only people that knew where herself, Nimueh and Gorlois. Then three years later they had another affair and you where conceived' she indicated Morgana 'the confusion was that a few days after this affair, when Gorlois went away for a few days, Uther and Vivienne had an affair yet because Uther was barren nothing came of it. Then about a month after Morgana was born Uther, who was desperate for an heir, went to Nimueh and asked her to use magic to help conceive a child. Now Nimueh, despite what she's become, was a loyal friend and when Uther said he believed Igraine was barren she, believing it was safest, told him that she was. Well you know what happened after that. Arthur was born and because when a life is created with magic another life must be taken your mother died. Some people believe that Uther went slightly mad at the loss of his wife but whatever the reason he started the Great Purge. When Uther turned on Nimueh she understood despite the fact that it was partly his fault so she let him be. But when he started to kill her people...well you saw the result today. She let her hate and sadness eat her up and dyeing and coming back to life didn't help.'

Morgana squirmed slightly because she knew that she had let that happen to herself, she knew that she had let hate and sadness rule her life for the past year. Almost unconsciously she leant into Merlin who still had his hand on her shoulder which he then moved around her shoulders. It was a strangely natural gesture.

There was a silence while they all absorbed it in then Morgana said 'why was Morgause smuggled out of Camelot?'

Helena blinked 'several reasons. Because like most children at the age of about five she started to show her magic. Gorlois decided it was best to get her to someone who could teach her how to control her powers before Uther decided to kill her. But it was also because the older Morgause grew the more she looked like Igraine, which, naturally, wasn't a good thing'

'Does she know? That her mother is Igraine and why she was taken from here?' asked Morgana

'No. She knows only that she was born here and that her father was Gorlois. She was told I believe by the Priestesses of the Old Religion that she was taken because she had magic. She knows nothing of who she really is.'

'Did my father know?' asked Arthur 'did he know that my mother would die?'

'No. Nimueh warned him over and over that someone would die and that it couldn't be a random stranger but he ignored her. Nimueh confessed to him that if she had known it would have been Igraine she would have refused his request.' She spoke quietly and softly as if it would be less of a blow to Arthur. It wasn't.

There was a very long silence which no one wanted to break. Their thoughts all ran along the same path. 'How long will it take Morgause to recover?' asked Arthur surprising Merlin and Morgana. Helena seemed to understand though. She understood that Arthur had always thought of Morgana as his sister so when he found out that she was his half-sister it had made sense but it had come as a complete shock that Morgause was his half-sister. Now he wanted both Morgana and Morgause to stay in Camelot, he wanted to keep his family as close as possible.

'A week or two give or take, it depends on her' replied Helena 'do you know everything you want to know?'

'Not quite but it might make sense if you told us later' said Arthur 'we should probably tell everyone what's happened'

'Well the citizens already know' said Helena

'How?' asked Merlin in surprise

'I sent Lancelot, Gawain and Elyan to tell them and now they're rounding up all the officials that need to be present for your coronation and Elyan has gone to bring Gwen back' Helena gave them all a smile 'I'd say it's time you go great the officials and your father'

'What are you going to do?' asked Morgana

'I'm going to go spread a rumour among the people that you and your sister were being controlled by an evil sorceress that has more than once tried to destroy Camelot' she laughed 'you'll be surprised just how many people will believe a rumour' she turned and walked to the door where she stopped and turned 'it might be a good idea not to mention my name, you can mention that a sorceress saved your lives but there are a few people in the court that have heard of me' they all nodded, she smiled and walked out.

'Helena!' shouted Arthur, Helena put her head around the door 'thank you' Helena smiled at the three of them said 'good luck' and left.

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_**so you like? **_

_**helena's appearence was a bit unexpected if i do say so my self. for those of you who want to know her age she is about 28 in my mind. i made her up because i wanted to have someone conected with the past.**_

_**do you like the way Morgause and Morgana are sisters and the way arthur is their half-brother though igraine? **_

_**please review! :)  
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	4. A King's Promise

_**ok here is the third chapter!**_

_**i am so sorry for the amount of time it has taken me to up date this chapter! i know just how it feels to have to wait for ages for a story that your reading to be up dated :)**_

_**this chapters title basically says it all :)**_

_**enjoy!**_

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The next hour or so passed in a blur for Morgana. She was aware of apologising over and over to everyone in the room more than once, she was aware of people's forgiveness and all though the proceedings she was aware of Merlin standing beside her, always there always watching Uther. At one point he said 'Uther's coming' and discreetly he and Morgana moved to stand beside Arthur. The one thing Morgana remembered perfectly was Arthur talking to the whole room explaining what had happened.

'Morgana and her sister where being controlled by an evil sorceress who many of you may know, she calls herself Nimueh'. At this point several people gasped. 'Nimueh was responsible for all of their actions, they were aware of nothing they were doing. They have my protection and my belief -you can trust them'.

'Arthur'. Uther pushed his way through the crowd and said, 'I need to speak with you'.

Arthur nodded then turned to Merlin and Morgana. 'Stay together. I'll be back in a minute'. He then walked over to his father and said, 'what?'

Uther looked slightly taken aback then he gathered himself and said, 'You don't believe that Morgana is your half-sister do you?'

Arthur opened his mouth, and then stopped when a voice said in his mind '_be careful Arthur'. _He blinked, _'Helena?' _

'_Yes Arthur. Be careful that you don't reveal everything you know' _

'_Can I tell him that Morgana and Morgause are my half-sisters?' _

He felt Helena hesitate. '_Tell him once you have witnesses to your law. When it's safe'_

'_What do I say then?'_

'_Anything, just be careful'_

Arthur frowned at his father. 'It's not your business what I believe anymore, I know things that would shock you'.

Uther stared at him then frowned severely saying, 'I am your-' he stopped. He wasn't the king anymore. 'What happened to Nimueh? How did you make her leave Morgana's body?'

'And Morgause's', added Arthur. 'The story is a strange one. A sorceress appeared and banished Nimueh from their bodies'.

Uther frowned. 'Did she tell you her name?'

'No and before you ask I don't know where she is', replied Arthur viscously hearing Helena laugh in his head.

Uther frowned clearly trying to think of something to say. 'You said that neither Morgana nor Morgause were responsible for their actions...so where is Morgause?'

Arthur smiled. He had expected this question. 'Recovering'.

Uther frowned at his son who clearly wasn't going to tell him anything then said, 'Do you think you're ready to be king?'

Arthur nodded. 'I think I'm ready'

At that moment Morgana came to his rescue. 'Arthur Lancelot and Gawain are back'. She completely ignored Uther and lead Arthur away towards Merlin and the two Knights.

Gawain clapped Arthur on the back. 'Well I have to say that I didn't expect that to go as well as it did, I thought we were goners when Nimueh flung us across the room'.

Lancelot grinned. 'So what's happening now?'

'Well tomorrow my coronation will take place and a new law will be established', Arthur laughed. 'Oh, and Camelot will gain three more knights'. There was laughter all around.

Arthur turned to the whole room, which immediately fell quiet. 'I have some business to attend to, please do not disturb us for an hour or so'. Everyone bowed their heads in assent and respect and watched as the soon-to-be-king, the Kings Ward and a servant left the room.

* * *

Arthur, Morgana and Merlin walked up the stairs towards the royal chambers. In unspoken agreement they took the direction to Arthur's room. Once there Morgana plonked down onto one of the chairs, Arthur sat down on his bed and Merlin remained standing out of habit. Arthur looked up at Merlin. 'You know you can sit down'. Merlin blinked then moved to a chair and sat down.

'Merlin'. Merlin looked up at Arthur. 'Would you like to be my magical adviser?'

Merlin blinked. 'Magical adviser? Me?'

'Oh don't look so shocked Merlin. You're what, the Greatest Warlock Who Ever Lived aren't you?'

'Something like that...alright I Accept', said Merlin grinning

Morgana watched them with some amusement 'I don't understand your relationship'. Arthur opened his mouth to say something when suddenly Helena appeared next to Arthur's bed. Morgana blinked in mild surprise; she had often seen Morgause do the same, Merlin flinched; he was used to magic, but it surprised him because he had never seen someone appear like that before. Arthur however jumped out of his skin; he quite literally seemed to jump a foot in the air he then tumbled to the floor sitting up with a scowl on his face. Merlin and Morgana burst out laughing the two of them laughing so hard that tears rolled down their faces.

Arthur got to his feet and trying to keep some dignity said, 'What no flash of light?'

Helena tried to keep a straight face. 'Sorry Arthur. The flash of light isn't necessary; the idea was to blind Nimueh'.

Arthur glared at Merlin and Morgana who were clutching their stomachs; Morgana's mouth was open but she was laughing so hard that no sound was coming out of her mouth and Merlin was kneeling on the floor howling to the ceiling. 'When you two have had your fun...' he said clearly not amused.

Slowly Merlin and Morgana pulled themselves together and sat back down in their chairs still grinning. Arthur gave them an annoyed look then said to Helena, 'Do you think the town's folk are convinced?'

Helena nodded, 'Oh yes. I mentioned the name Nimueh once or twice and that convinced the stubborn ones'. She smiled at Morgana and Merlin who were still trying to keep straight faces. 'How did the court take it?'

'Oh they were very eager to hear my explanation, although father wasn't completely convinced; I don't think he liked the way I didn't tell him much about you or where Morgause was'.

Helena frowned slightly. 'Hmmm… We will have to be careful. A lot can happen in two or three days'.

'What do you think Nimueh will do now?' asked Merlin looking serious again

Helena seemed to consider. 'It depends; she still wants revenge... because of the amount of time she was in Morgause's body she would have enough energy to create a body, but I think she will lay low for a while. She will probably try and get her full strength back, it takes a lot of energy to create a body'.

'She told us that she placed a spell on herself so that if she was killed by magic she wouldn't die', said Morgana looking anxious.

Helena nodded. 'Yes she did but it only works once so she no longer has that protection'.

'Can't she just place it on herself again?' asked Arthur.

'No. It can only be placed on the same person twice and it's a spell that has consequences for the person who casts it'.

There was a long silence. One that no one wanted to break because it was peaceful. Arthur felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders; the weight of the knowledge of Morgana's betrayal. Merlin felt like he hadn't felt in years; Morgana was back and she was on their side, and she was going to stay... every time he looked at her he felt a powerful feeling in his chest. Morgana, for the first time in years felt safe and happy; she was back with her friends, magic would soon be cleared as a crime and for the moment she was still with her sister. Morgana glanced at Helena but it was impossible to tell what she was thinking, her eyes were closed and her head was tilted slightly, there was a small smile playing about her mouth and yet Morgana who was usually good at telling what people were thinking couldn't tell what was going on in her mind.

'What now?' asked Arthur yawning widely

Helena opened her eyes 'I suggest you all get some rest, tomorrow is going to be a big day'

The others nodded then Morgana and Merlin trooped towards the door 'see you tomorrow Arthur' said Merlin slipping out the door

'Don't forget Arthur, you need to prepare speech' teased Morgana darting out of range as Arthur made as if to throw a pillow at her

Helena followed them 'try and get some rest Arthur, you will need it'

Arthur waved at her 'night' then watched her go smiling slightly and as he fell on his bed fully clothed one thought rose in his mind; things were changing for the better.

Helena walked Morgana to her room, waving good-bye to Merlin at the stairs, and at her door she said 'Morgana you can go see her you know'

Morgana nodded 'thankyou' she had been extremely anxious for Morgause ever since Helena had knocked her out. 'Good night Helena and thank you'

Helena smiled and vanished. Morgana hesitated glanced around her then walked to the door next to her room hesitated again then opened the door. As she entered and shut the door she thought for a terrifying moment that Morgause wasn't there but as she hurried forward she saw in the dim light of the moon that Morgause was in bed. Moving forward quietly Morgana looked down at the person she had just discovered was her sister. Morgause was lying on her back under the covers, her eyes were closed and her beautiful face was just as pale as the pillow under her head. Morgana sat down on the edge of her bed and looked anxiously at her sister; she took her sisters hand in her own and stroked the elegant, slender fingers. Morgause didn't respond. Morgana swallowed; she'd had this small childish hope that Morgause might wake up when she was there. Staring at Morgause now she suddenly had an inkling of what it must have been like for Morgause when Morgana had been poisoned 'stop it' she told herself 'Morgause is going to be fine, Helena said so, Morgause isn't poisoned or dying; she is recovering' it didn't really help much. Standing up she leaned forward and tucked a lock of Morgause's blond hair behind her ear then pulled the covers up to Morgause's chin hating the fact that there was nothing she could do, then she turned and forced herself to leave the room shutting the door firmly behind her and made her way unconsciously to her room.

When she first entered the room she was at first unaware of the fact that there was someone there, she was halfway to her bed when she sensed someone was standing near her dressing table. Morgana calmed her suddenly racing heart and turned to face...Gwen. Morgana blinked and gasped 'Gwen!'

Gwen stared at her then curtsied 'my lady' there was a hard edge to her voice

Morgana swallowed then walked over to her once best friend 'Gwen...I... I'm so sorry'

'You tried to have me killed' said Gwen quietly 'why?'

Morgana sighed then walked over to her bed and sat down. Gwen looked at her in surprise, Morgana looked tired and weary, not strong and cold, and she was suddenly reminded of all those times when she had sat by Morgana's with her arms around her comforting her after one of those nightmares that had so terrified her friend. Hardening her heart she asked. 'How long have you been against us? Why did you turn against us in the first place?'

In answer Morgana got up and held out her hand. Gwen gasped as a flame suddenly appeared in Morgana's pale hand flickering to and fro before Morgana closed her hand extinguishing the fire.

Gwen gasped, 'You're a sorceress!' she hastily backed away from Morgana her eyes full of fear.

Morgana shook her head. 'Actually I'm a Seer. There is a big difference'.

'Isn't a Seer someone who can see the future?' asked Gwen curious despite herself.

Morgana nodded. 'I was scared Gwen, you have no idea what it's like to feel like you could be discovered and executed for something that you are. Almost every night I would wake up terrified because I had seen something that would happen, something I couldn't stop. And I had no one to help me. I was terrified, Uther wouldn't spare me just because I was his ward, and he is never merciful. I began to hate him, hating the way he treated my people. When he killed your father I tried to kill him, but I didn't because I believed that he cared for me...I was wrong. My nightmares got worse both in my dreams and in my head and then out of nowhere Morgause appeared and offered me the chance to be safe, then when I found out she was my sister I was more than happy to help her. At first I was only against Uther, then she convinced me that no one cared about me (this happened after she was possessed)-'

'Possessed?' asked Gwen

'That's another story. Anyway it's no excuse for what I did I know but that's why I did it'.

Gwen hesitated. 'Why me though?'

Morgana too hesitated; it wasn't just because she had seen Gwen become Queen... it was because of a dream she had had... a dream of a love triangle between Arthur, Gwen and Lancelot. The fact that Gwen would betray Arthur's affections like that had been enough to shock her into agreeing to Morgause's plan. 'I... I don't really know Gwen... It's complicated, I don't even know why I did...but I'm so sorry'.

Gwen had been watching Morgana all though this exchange and even though she knew just how good an actor Morgana was there was something about the pleading look in her eyes that convinced her.

'Oh Morgana, I forgive you but you can be too trusting sometimes' said Gwen rushing forward and hugging her mistress tightly. Morgana hugged her back reminded suddenly of the times when they had been children, before the fear and the terror. Gwen pulled back suddenly, 'what do you mean Morgause was possessed?'

Morgana explained what had happened in the throne room, watching with amusement as Gwen's eyebrows moved further and further up her forehead. When Morgana had finished Gwen let out her breath slowly. 'Ok so let me get this straight. You and Morgause are full sisters; your father was Gorlois and your mother was Igraine. Arthur is your half-brother and you all have a sorceress for an aunt who is much younger than your mother, right so far?' asked Gwen. At Morgana's nod she continued. 'Wow. You know what shocks me is that this woman Nimueh is still alive. How come your aunt didn't kill her?'

Morgana frowned at Gwen slightly. 'Because she was in Morgause's body'

'I know but what if she hadn't had a choice?'

'She is related to her you know and Helena doesn't seem the kind of person who would rush into something without a plan' said Morgana coldly

Gwen, realising that she had made a mistake said 'but why couldn't she make her leave Morgause's body then kill her?'

'I don't think you can kill someone if they don't have a body... I'll ask her' replied Morgana suddenly yawning 'oh we can finish this conversation tomorrow but right now I need to sleep'

Gwen nodded 'do you need me to help?'

'No thanks Gwen you go get some sleep' Morgana watched Gwen go with a smile then, like Arthur fell on to her bed fully clothed. Things had changed, and for once Morgana was satisfied with the course they were taking.

* * *

The next morning Merlin woke not quite sure why he felt so excited. He stared up at his ceiling feeling his memories coming back in a rush; Nimueh, Morgause, Morgana, Helena and his big talk with Gaius last night;

After he had explained to Gaius what had happened the old man had sat down heavily a look of great surprise on his old face.

'Helena de Bois... I never thought I would hear that name again' the old man sighed

'You knew about her?' exclaimed Merlin in surprise. 'Why didn't you tell me?'

Gaius sighed. 'Merlin you need to understand something. When I last saw Helena she was eight years old. As time passed I began to wonder what had happened to her, partly because Uther was bent on finding her-'

At this point Merlin interrupted. 'Why was Uther bent on finding her?'

'I'm not sure. Those people that knew about her thought that he might have wanted to take care of her...her brother and sister were both dead. I never made my mind up about the reason; it might have been because he felt slightly guilty about killing her brother and the fact that her sister was dead. Or it might have been because he guessed that she knew the real reason the Great Purge had started (because he knew that she had magic) and wanted to make sure she couldn't tell anyone'

Merlin nodded slowly 'but why didn't you tell me about her?'

'As I was saying the last time I saw her was something like twenty years, give or take, ago. I was worried that during that time she would have become someone like Nimueh. People can change a lot from the time there a child and the time when they're an adult.'

'Did you honestly think she would become like that? You knew her'.

Gaius sighed 'I knew Nimueh, Merlin. I never would have thought she would become what she is today.'

After his long discussion with Gaius Merlin had fallen on his bed, exhausted, unable to believe that things could have gone so well when all hope had seemed lost. Being Merlin however he couldn't help worrying about Nimueh, he had watched Helena answer his questions and hadn't been able to tell whether she was worried or not, he barely knew her and despite everything that he had tried to tell himself he had fallen asleep still slightly worried.

Now Merlin looked out his window into the bright sun of a new day; it was if nature itself was celebrating the coronation of a new King. As he got dressed and ate breakfast Merlin began to get more and more excited; soon he wouldn't have to go around pretending to be something he wasn't. When he was finished he made his way as quickly as possible towards Arthur's room where he found an odd sight.

Morgana was standing in the centre of the room her hand raised at the ceiling, Merlin following her amused gaze saw Arthur his blond head touching the ceiling, the rest of him struggling violently.

'Morgana! Let me down now!' yelled Arthur continuing to struggle.

Morgana laughed as Merlin closed the door 'oh Arthur struggling won't get you anywhere' she glanced at Merlin as he came closer grinning 'do you like it? This was a spell labelled _How to teach clot poles a lesion'_

Merlin laughed openly 'wow I wish I had known that spell a few years ago!'

Arthur had stopped struggling now 'come on Morgana I have to get ready for my coronation!'

Morgana sighed then lowered Arthur to the ground, once he was on the ground Arthur gave Morgana a withering look then turned to Merlin. 'Come on help me dress'.

As he was helping Arthur Merlin asked Morgana, 'So how long have you known that I had magic?' he sounded sheepish and slightly scared.

Morgana smiled at him slightly 'since the Questing Beast appeared. But I'd suspected there was something more to you for a while, the way you told everyone it was you who had started Nimueh's plague, not Gwen, the way you listened so closely when I voiced my feelings about magic before I knew what I was. There was also the fact that you always seemed to be at the right place at the right time.'

Merlin turned to Arthur and asked 'how long have you known that Morgana and I had magic?'

Arthur smirked. 'I've suspected that Morgana's dreams were more then just that… especially when she tried to stop me going after the Questing Beast. Like Morgana I suspected you for a while, the way you were always there after some miracle had been performed that had saved Camelot but I've known since that time when we went to save your village; I saw that it was you'.

There was a pause during which Arthur began to voice his worries about the coronation when Merlin suddenly heard a voice in his head, _'why did you poison me Merlin?'_

Merlin stared at Morgana in shock; he had had no idea that she could perform telepath. _'Because I was stupid. I trusted the Great Dragon; I believed that there was no other way. I know now that if I had told you what was happening you would have done something to stop it. I thought that I had killed you Morgana... I will never be able to forgive myself for that.'_

He was unaware that he had moved closer to Morgana, unaware of Arthur's chatter, the only thing he was aware of where her eyes, those beautiful green eyes in which there where many emotions raging. All he could do was to stare into those eyes and to plead with his own; all he wanted was her forgiveness, even though he would never be able to forgive himself.

Morgana looked up into those midnight blue eyes, those pleading helpless eyes, and felt something that she hadn't felt for a long time. She knew that what he said was true; she had asked Helena that morning why she thought Merlin had poisoned her and Helena had told her about the Great Dragon, how manipulative he was, how he didn't like Morgana because she was the only exception when it came to Merlin doing what the dragon told him to do. Like Merlin she was unaware of how close they where to each other she was only aware of his eyes and his face. She was suddenly reminded of all those times they had spent together when they had been helping Mordred, they had become so close during that time. They stared up onto each other's eyes and suddenly Morgana leaned forward and kissed him. It was so unexpected that Merlin didn't react for a second then he out his arm around her back and kissed her back closing his eyes and allowing himself to drift away. It was unlike either of them had experienced before.

Arthur watched them though a crack in his screen with some amusement. He had had more then one reason for making Merlin his adviser; he had known that that would put him at the same rank as any lord or lady. At first he had been strongly against the idea but when he had began to fall in love with Gwen he realised that it would have been unfair for Morgana and Merlin if they couldn't be together. He gave them a few minuets while he continued to dress then coughed loudly, he heard Merlin and Morgana jump apart then he walked around the screen. Both looked so shocked about what had just happened that neither complained about Arthur's interruption. 'Come on Merlin! If I'm late to my coronation then so help me I will lock my newly appointed adviser in the stocks and make sure that there are several buckets of fresh manure close by'.

* * *

'I crown you king!' the crown was placed on Arthur's head and everyone jumped up and began to clap. Merlin and Morgana clapped wildly grinning so much that their faces started to hurt. Arthur made his way down the aisle nodding to people as he passed them. Morgana and Merlin joined the court of nobbles as they followed him to the balcony where he would address the citizens of Camelot their hearts beating very fast.

When Arthur reached the balcony he turned and faced his people, aware of the court moving to their positions behind him. He stepped forward to the edge, swallowed and took a great breath, 'People of Camelot there is a promise that I must honour; the law concerning those with magic'. He saw people in the crowd stir and glance at each other nervously. 'I think it is time we had a better attitude towards those with magic', There was whispering in the crowd. 'I was brought up, like many of you would have been to believe that magic was a crime punishable by death. Yet over the last few years I have begun to see other wise'. Out of the corner of his eye Arthur saw his father's head turn to stare at him in shock. He continued with a new smile on his face. 'I have come across people who have magic and have used it countless times for good and they told me what magic really is. It is not something that you chose, nor something that you can learn, therefore I ask myself how can you practice it? Magic is something you are born with something that chooses you. It is not something evil nor something good, it is the person who possesses it that chooses whether it is good or bad. I have learned that if you have magic and do not use it then it can explode out of you because you can't control it. So I ask myself if people are caught practicing magic then wouldn't they be doing it to keep others safe?' In the crowed he saw people who looked like they couldn't believe their ears and others who looked like their wildest dreams had just come true. 'I have seen first hand the consequences of the law against magic. I have seen people who have tried to take revenge on this kingdom, but I have realised that they usually do it because they are scared or have lost a love one to the law. Too many people died in the Great Purge, some who were innocent and some who were guilty, but guilty of what? Of being who they were. Then twenty years later lives are still being lost for this very same supposed crime. I ask you now if there is anyone among you who has magic to step forward and to show yourself and I swear that you will not be harmed'. Merlin and Morgana immediately stepped forward up to the balcony so everyone could see them. Arthur nodded at them then turned back to look at his people. At first no one moved then there was a shift in the crowd, as if seeing two people in the royal court step forward had jerked them into action. He saw people moving to the front of the crowd, people he recognised from the village, people who had obviously travelled to see his coronation and others who looked like they had come from the forest. Leaning forward he was surprised to see a handful of Druids among them and also he was sure Alvar and a handful of his bandits were looking back up at him expressions of astonishment on their tough faces. He also, to his delight, saw Helena standing among a crowd of travellers smiling up at him.

He straitened himself up and said, 'You see these people look exactly like us, they live like us' he gestured to Morgana. 'The Lady Morgana has magic and yet does she look like she will suddenly cast some evil spell on me?' He raised his hands to the sky. 'I think not. From now on every one of you will no longer have to live in fear of being persecuted, you shall be treated in the same way as any other person, the only time you will be punished is if you commit any ordinary crime against this kingdom, if you commit a crime using magic you will be given a fair trial. I here by also give any sorcerer who has ever harmed this kingdom a second chance. I would also ask a favour: will every person here please spread the word that from now on any sorcerer, sorceress, druid, healer, Seer, warlock and magician can now forever live in peace and not in fear for who they are'.

There was a long pause where every person stared up at him then suddenly there was a single cheer in the crowd. It was if that was a rock giving way. Suddenly the crowd erupted in cheers and screams, there was clapping, stamping of feet, it was a sound never heard in Camelot before. Arthur grinned at a sight he had never seen before, the whole of Camelot celebrating, then turned to look at Merlin and Morgana who, to his surprise, where embracing tightly. They broke apart and turned to him grinning like idiots, Merlin opened his mouth and said something but his voice was lost in the cheers of the crowd. Arthur turned and walked back though the open doors nodding solemnly at the rest of the court and grinning as he passed Lancelot, Gawain and Elyan, who grinned back at him, then made his way back to the hall the cheers of his people following him.

* * *

_**ok! did you like?**_

_**i promise that the next chapter will be updated really soon!**_

_**please review!**_


	5. Confrontations

**_here it is, the next chapter; Finally! _**

**_i am so sorry about the long wait! my computer crashed then fanfiction wouldnt let me update; it kept saying things like 'proxy' and telling me the file was uncompatable or something! but enough of excuses, please forgive me as you read this chapter!_**

**_please enjoy!  
_**

* * *

_**Chapter 4 ~ Confrontations **_

Arthur collapsed into the big, carved, high-backed throne and let out a long exhausted sigh that echoed around the hall. Morgana and Merlin where the only people in the hall with him and they gave him a minuet to bask in his glory. 'So Arthur how does it feel to be king and of just changed one of the highest laws in Camelot?' asked Morgana.

'Oh pretty good. How does it feel like to be in love with an adviser?' smirked Arthur

Morgana grinned 'well done Arthur, I have to say that was probably the best speech you've ever given'

Arthur smiled 'thanks Morgana. Merlin you've been quiet, don't you think I did well?'

Merlin smiled at him 'yeah definitely. I just can't believe that we're free'.

Before either could reply Helena appeared next to Morgana. Arthur managed to turn his flinch into scratching his back before Merlin or Morgana noticed though Morgana was engaged in hugging her aunt at that moment. Helena turned to Arthur and smiled 'well done Arthur'

Arthur grinned at her 'I thought that putting Merlin and Morgana's words into my speech might have helped'

'Well it did, hearing their own words coming out of your mouth definitely helped to convince them that you where not lying' she smiled 'oh by the way your father's coming; I don't think he is in a very good mood'

Arthur sighed 'right lets get ready. Are you going to stay?' he asked Helena

She grinned wickedly 'oh yes I want to see this, besides I really want to see his face when you mention me'

Merlin and Morgana laughed 'we're staying too'.

'Right everyone prepare for a thunder cloud' Arthur straitened himself up, adjusted his crown and set his jaw determinedly.

'He should be here…now' whispered Helena. Right on her word the doors banged open and Uther entered, his face like thunder, followed by two guards.

Arthur waved the guards away who retreated shutting the doors behind them. Uther walked towards the throne stopping a respectful distance away, bowed, then straightened himself 'Arthur-

Arthur held up a hand and Uther stopped surprised 'you will address me as My Lord, Your Majesty or My King'. Morgana grinned; she could tell Arthur was enjoying himself tremendously as he repeated the words that had so often been yelled at him by his father.

Uther sucked in a breath and seemed to calm down, it was obvious that he didn't want the conversation to start of badly, then said 'My Lord about your speech…please tell me that was some kind of joke'

Arthur was on his feet in an instant 'you think I would joke about something like that?' he shouted 'something that serious! If you think that father then you don't know me at all'

Uther hastily backtracked 'I mean…was it a cleaver trap or something? If it was a trap it certainly worked, we now know every sorcerer in Camelot and can deal with them quietly enough'

Arthur glared at his father 'no it wasn't a trap. I gave my word of honour and I mean to keep it, everything I said was true'

Uther stared at him then suddenly became aware of Morgana, Merlin and Helena. He glared at Morgana and Merlin, shooting Helena a puzzled look, and said 'so Morgana you have betrayed me…I wouldn't of thought it from my own daughter'

'I'm not your daughter' Morgana retorted hotly

Uther laughed 'just because you don't wish to be it doesn't-'

Uther was abruptly interrupted 'she is not your daughter' said Helena her eyes slightly narrowed

Uther snorted 'yes she is. And may I ask who I'm speaking to?'

Helena smiled 'oh yes its been a while since we first met. I believe you knew my siblings, Igraine and Tristen de Bois?'

Uther's expression froze then all the colour went out of his face, his eyes widened with shock and fear and he took several steps away from Helena 'you!' he shouted fear etched in every line of his face.

Helena rolled her green eyes 'relax Uther! I'm not going to kill you, though I must admit I've been tempted for a while'

Uther was obviously not convinced and he moved away from Helena again before continuing to speak to Arthur 'Arthur, you have been brain washed by these people. You know what sorcerers are; you have seen first hand what they have tried to do to this kingdom. They are evil'

Arthur walked over to his father 'no. I have seen them trying to harm Camelot yes, but I know what they really are; they are people who have been hurt beyond repair by you and your guilt and hate. In my opinion they are more innocent then you are'

Uther frowned 'what are you talking about?'

'I'm talking about the fact that you are a hypocrite and a liar. You started the Great Purge not though really thinking that sorcerers where dangerous but though needing to blame someone for something you where guilty of'

Uther was obviously still not understanding Arthur, who sighed, took a step closer and said 'namely the death of my mother'

Uther drew himself up 'your mother died because a sorceress put a spell on her, not because of anything I did. We have already been though this Arthur and a swore to you that I meant her no harm'

Arthur snorted 'yes but I have figured out that that promise meant almost nothing. I believe that you really didn't mean my mother any harm, but through not listening to Nimueh and through your greed my mother died…admit it'

Uther sighed then said quietly 'Arthur your mother was barren; she could not conceive. I was desperate for an heir that I listened to the poisons of a witch and allowed her to cast a spell to conceive you. I was betrayed. The witch said that no one would die, that everything would be fine…but it wasn't your mother died several seconds after you where born'

Arthur began to laugh 'I cant believe your still lying! The sorceress told you that someone would die and that it couldn't be someone who you didn't know; she warned you over and over again and you didn't listen!' Arthur was no longer laughing now, his eyes where full of anger and hate, and he was shouting into his fathers face.

'Besides' said Helena, Uther's head snapped in her direction, 'Igraine wasn't barren, you were'

Uther stared at her then let out a bark of laughter 'what ever you say Helena, but where is you proof?'

Helena turned to Morgana and raised an eyebrow, Morgana nodded and stepped forward 'Morgana and her sister Morgause are my proof'

She watched Uther's face change as he slowly began to understand what she meant. Uther turned slowly to face Morgana his jaw working and said 'is it true?'

'Yes its true. Morgana and Morgause are my half-sisters and they are welcome under this roof for as long as I live' said Arthur turning and walking back to his chair where he sat down in relief, his legs where very sore

Uther finally didn't seem to be able to think of anything to say so Arthur said 'you can go now father, and I warn you if you harm any person who has magic there will be sever consequences'

Uther, recognising it as an order, turned and marched out the door. Arthur signalled to the two guards and said 'make sure he goes to his room please, we don't want him wandering around' the two guards nodded at him then left.

There was a long silence in which Arthur closed his eyes savouring the expressions on his fathers face. 'What now?' he asked opening his eyes 'what are you all going to do now?'

Morgana shook herself slightly then said 'I'm going to go down to the streets and apologise to everyone for what I did to them'

Merlin glanced at Morgana then said 'I'm going to have a chat with the Great Dragon, he needs to know that he isn't right about everything' as he said this he put an arm around Morgana's shoulders.

Helena smiled as they walked off together 'I thought that would happen'

Arthur sighed 'I was against it at first, but…' he shrugged 'what are you going to do?'

'I am going to have a chat with Gaius, it's been a while since we last met' Helena smiled 'but I can stay with you first while you sign the law parchment and make it official'

Arthur sighed in relief 'thanks I didn't want to ask, but I'm kind of nervous'

Helena laughed suddenly 'Arthur you just changed one of the most life altering laws in the history of Camelot, you have nothing to worry about'

Merlin watched as the Great Dragon came down to earth and landed with a thump that shook the whole ground 'greetings Merlin, its been I while since you sought my council'

Merlin drew himself up 'I am not here to seek your council; I'm here to tell you that you were wrong'

The Great Dragon blinked 'wrong about what?'

'Wrong about the fact that Morgana was evil and that there was no hope and that Arthur could never be king as long as she lived'

The Great Dragon snorted 'oh yes how so'

Merlin took a deep breath and told the dragon everything that had happened over the past day watching with amusement as the dragon began to look more and more surprised. When he had finished the dragon bowed his head 'I must admit that was something I foresaw'

'What?' cried Merlin in outrage 'you knew there was a chance that all this could happen? You told me that Morgana would form an evil alliance with Mordred and that she was long gone and that she was Uther's daughter!'

The Great Dragon sighed 'Merlin you are not a Seer, you cannot know how complicated it is to know the future. Destiny is like a great twisting, winding path; there are forks and dead ends. Your destiny is clearer then most peoples… yet it too has forks and roundabouts. Arthur has always been there and so has Morgana. She could have been what I said she was, or she could be what you want her to be. She did form an alliance with Mordred when she gave him the crystal'

Merlin stared at him then said 'what is going to happen now? Is she going to stay on my side? Does she love me like I love her?'

The Great Dragon sighed 'there was always that chance… there was a great prophecy made long ago it foretold that Morgana would have to make a choice, one that would shift everyone's destinies to a lighter or darker path depending on her choice. As it was I had no way of knowing which path she would choose'

Merlin frowned 'did you know that Morgause was being controlled be Nimueh? Did you know that Helena would turn up?'

'Its complicated Merlin, to complicated for you to understand. Morgana's destiny is on a much lighter path then it has been for years, Helena knows about all this and she will do her best to ensure that Morgana doesn't stray again starting with her relationship with Mordred, but there are still dark things to come; Nimueh is still out there are she still wants revenge'

'Can you tell me the whole prophecy?' asked Merlin after a pause

'Yes but I won't, it would be better if you didn't here it till absolutely necessary and it would be better if you heard it from Helena'

Merlin sighed, in truth he didn't want to have another burden on his shoulders for some time 'all right. Good-bye Kilgirath but from now on I want complete honesty from you'. The Great Dragon bowed his head.

Lancelot wandered the vast corridors of Camelot with some interest. Arthur, before going off to establish the law, had given him, Gawain and Elyan permission to look over the whole of Camelot. Gawain had instead gone to the pub and Elyan had gone to talk with Gwen. Lancelot had been very tempted to except Elyan's offer to visit Gwen but had reclined because of Gwen and Arthur's feelings for each other. Every time he thought of that he got a tight burning feeling in his chest and stomach that made him feel sick, he understood why Gwen had chosen Arthur over him but that didn't make it hurt less. So he had decided to accept Arthur's offer and look around Camelot. He was curious he had to admit, the last time he was there he hadn't been anywhere near the royal chambers and was interested to see if they were as grand as he had heard. Now walking around the royal chambers he suddenly saw Uther walking along the corridor from the other direction, his head down closely followed by two knights. Lancelot, not wanting to bump into the man who had stopped him from becoming a knight and who looked in a very bad mood, quickly opened the nearest door, darted in and closed it softly behind him. He then turned his back on the door and leaned against it before realising where he was. He was in someone's bedroom. Lancelot looked around franticly and breathed a sigh of relief; this was a spare room, there where no personal possessions in sight. Curious he walked quietly around the room looking at the decorated wardrobe, the loosely stacked bookshelf, the empty dressing table and the fireplace. Lancelot blinked and stared at the fireplace; it was lit. That explained the reason why the room was nice and warm. Lancelot frowned _why is the fire lit?_ He thought. Hesitantly he walked over to the four-poster bed and froze; there was someone lying under the covers. Swallowing Lancelot moved forward slightly to see if they where awake and realised who it was. It was Morgana's sister Morgause. Lancelot looked down at her pale sleeping face; there was no denying that she was very beautiful, but Lancelot thought she also looked strangely venerable (an odd thing to think about the person who had flung him across the room with a mere flick of her finger). Lancelot studied her face; she looked around twenty-four years old, though she could have been younger. Her face was completely blank unlike someone's face when they are dreaming. How long he stood there gazing down at her he didn't know but the more he did the more the tight pain in his chest loosened. A noise started him out of his thoughts; there where foot steps heading towards him. Lancelot looked around and spotting the servants door he darted towards it; the last thing he wanted was to be discovered in this room by Morgana, Arthur, Merlin or Helena who where the only people that would be coming into this room. His hand had closed on the door nob when the main door began to open. Glancing around he darted behind the huge carved wardrobe and held his breath.

Morgana opened the door to her sister's room softly and closed it quickly in case anyone should be coming along the corridor. Walking over to her sister's bed she sat down. Morgana sighed; Morgause didn't look any better, she was still very pale and she still hadn't moved. Morgause stroked her sister's cheek and felt the tears well up behind her eyes. She had tried to keep her worries for her sister at bay ever since she had become Nimueh, but she was struggling. She had known that it would take Morgause a while to recover but she had hoped that there would be some signs of improvement by now. Tears slowly leaked out of her eyes and down her cheeks, along her chin and fell with faint thuds on the covers. Morgana turned her head as she heard the door open; it was Merlin. Merlin shut the door then walked over to her and put his arm around her shoulders. Morgana turned her head and buried her face in his surprisingly broad shoulder and cried silently. Merlin held her in his arms and kissed the top of her head gently murmuring 'its alright Morgana, she's going to be fine'

'But what if she isn't?' asked Morgana in a muffled voice 'what if she never recovers Merlin? What if she dies not knowing that the thing she strived for her whole life had finally happened? What if she dies not knowing who she really is?' the last word can out in a strangled sob that broke Merlin's heart.

'She will wake up Morgana, she's strong. Helena said that it would take a while, its only been a day since then' said Merlin quietly stroking her long midnight black hair.

At this point there was a knock and Arthur entered dressed in his normal tunic and breeches, he had even taken the crown off his fair head. He approached them, closing the door, and went to stand beside Morgana, placing a comforting hand on her back. 'How is she?' he asked quietly looking down at Morgause.

Merlin sighed 'no improvement yet, well nothing visible anyway'

Arthur sighed 'do you think she can hear us?'

All three looked down at Morgause, Merlin opened his mouth to say something when there was a scuffling sound from the corner near the servant's door. Their heads snapped around to stare at the direction from where the sound had come from and Arthur drew his sword and putting a finger to his lips moved slowly towards the large carved wardrobe near the servant's corner.

Lancelot swore in his head as he watched Arthur draw his sword and move towards him. He pressed him self against the wall and preyed for a miracle. Just when he was sure Arthur was going to round the corner Helena appeared in front of him facing Arthur. Lancelot bit down hard on his tongue to stop himself from yelling in surprise.

'Oh Helena! How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not used to that! Next time will you please appear behind me or something?' Arthur sounded both cross and surprised

Helena apologised then said 'what's the sword for?'

'Oh we thought we heard something behind the wardrobe' explained Arthur

Lancelot held his breath as Helena turned to look at him, their eyes met and she moved forward peering at the ground near his feet. She bent down and scooped up something off the floor, she then turned back to Arthur and held out her hand; in it rested a small, brown mouse. Arthur stared at it for a moment then laughed 'god my nerves are on edge!' he sheathed his sword and walked back over to Morgana and Merlin. Helena closed her hand over the mouse, which seemed to vanish, and then followed him over to Morgause's bed.

Helena placed her hand on Morgana's shoulder 'Morgana its only been a day she's not going to have improved that much yet'

Morgana turned her head to look back down at her sister and swallowed 'but she doesn't look any better'

Helena sighed then leaned forward and placed a slender hand on Morgause's forehead and closed her eyes. She remained like that for sometime then pulled back and said 'there isn't any visible improvement but she is recovering Morgana. It will take time though. It might help if you talk to her I don't know if she can here you… but if she can it might help her to recover more quickly' she turned to Morgana and smiled slightly 'she will recover Morgana…it will just take sometime'

'How much time?' asked Arthur

Helena sighed 'about a week or two, maybe longer, it depends' she turned to look at them all 'take my advice and have an early night, it's been a big day'

One by one they filled out 'Merlin' said Helena quietly, Merlin turned to look back at her 'can I have a word?' asked Helena. Merlin nodded said something quietly to Morgana then walked back to Helena.

'You love Morgana don't you' it was more of a statement then a question and Merlin didn't bother to deny it. When he nodded Helena continued 'and you know that she loves you don't you?'

'Yes' said Merlin unable to stop himself smiling slightly as he said it

Helena smiled back at him 'then you should know that she isn't lying or tricking you, she really is back to stay'

Merlin smiled again 'I know. By the way do you know about my conversation with the Great Dragon?'

Helena nodded and he continued 'well is it true that there was a great prophecy made? Is it true that we are all still in danger?'

Helena smiled sadly 'yes Merlin. The prophecy the Great Dragon was talking about is only a section of a longer prophecy that was lost hundreds of years ago. None now live who remember it or if there is it is locked so deeply in their minds that it is impossible for them to remember. The prophecy, if fully remembered, would tell us the out come of Nimueh's revenge. And yes Merlin you know that we are all still in danger, from Nimueh and from Mordred'

'Can you tell me what portion of the prophecy you know?' pleaded Merlin

Helena shook her head 'not today Merlin. Go and spend sometime with Morgana, you can now that you're an adviser, catch up on all the time that was lost between you'

Merlin nodded, not disappointed, and turned to leave at the door Helena called 'oh and Merlin' he turned back 'you will have to forgive Morgause you know and soon' Merlin nodded his eyes moving to Morgause for a moment then left. Outside Morgana was waiting for him. He took her hand in his and they both made their way to her room next door.

Helena remained in the room her head slightly tilted before calling 'their gone Lancelot'

Lancelot emerged from behind the wardrobe with a sigh of relief 'thanks Helena you're a life savour. How did you know I was in trouble?'

Helena smirked 'your swearing was rather loud' Lancelot grinned 'by the way what where you doing in here anyway?'

Lancelot moved to the door 'actually I was avoiding Uther, I didn't know Morgause was in here' he paused for a moment 'will she be alright?'

Helena nodded 'yes Lancelot I'm sure you heard what I said'

Lancelot nodded thanked her once again then opened the door and left, but before he shut it he glanced once again at the sleeping Morgause with a rather worried expression then left frowning slightly.

Left alone in the room Helena turned to look down at her niece and smiled slightly then recited softly under her breath a strange sort of poem that sounded strangely like a melody; _One will fall in love and prevent one of the biggest disasters of Camelot; a love triangle between a knight, a king and a queen._

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**_so you like?_**

**_please review this chapter; i am open to constructive criticism!_**

**_once again i promise that the next chapter will be up soon, and by soon i mean tomorrow! (if my computer doesn't crash again :) )_**


	6. Awakening

**_hello again! as promised here is the next chapter!_**

**_here are a few clues:_**

**_1. we see a lot more of Morgause (a LOT more)_**

**_2. Merlin has something to ask Morgana..._**

**_So once again please enjoy!  
_**

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_**Chapter 5~ Awakening **_

_Blackness. That was all that she was aware of. She wasn't dead she knew that but she couldn't open her eyes and she couldn't wake up. She felt strangely weak like all the energy had been sucked from her. Then suddenly there was a light in the darkness, a small flickering flame that drew her. It was beautiful though she didn't know why and suddenly she felt a sudden urge to wake up, to get out of this blackness and back to a world full of light. There was a strange pulling feeling like she was being dragged down a tunnel then a swooping sensation in her stomach and she was falling towards the flame._

Morgause opened her eyes. She was lying in a large, comfortable four poster bed, sun light was streaming though the open windows and a nightingale outside was filling the room with a sweet beautiful melody. Morgause felt puzzled; why was she lying in bed? The last thing she remembered she had been standing in the hall in Camelot so why was she now in bed? Slowly she propped herself up on her elbows and sat up. The whole room spun and she had to lean back against the bed head until it stopped. When it had she looked around the room, her puzzlement increasing; she wasn't in her castle that was for sure. Then something happened that completely shocked Morgause. The door to her room opened and Arthur Pendragon poked his head around the corner and froze staring at her.

Arthur stared at Morgause for a moment his eyes blue eyes locking with her soft brown and taking in the fact that she was sitting up in bed and was actually awake. His mouth moved silently for a moment then he shut the door, spun on his heal and sprinted to Morgana's room. He paused for and knocked on her door, experience had taught him always to knock before entering Morgana's room when she was alone with Merlin, and hearing the assent flung the door open. Morgana and Merlin where sitting on the edge of her bed and gazing at him in some reproach but he didn't care. Morgana opened her mouth and he gasped 'Morgause is awake!' for a moment Morgana just stared at him like she hadn't heard him, then her eyes widened and she sprang out of bed and sprinted, followed Arthur towards her sisters room.

Morgause blinked in surprise. She had had barely anytime to register that it was Arthur before he had slammed the door. A small frown creased her forehead, why had Arthur looked the way he had; shocked and relieved? Why was he even here?_ Think _she told herself but her brain didn't seem to be working very well that morning. Before she had had time to fully think it over the door opened again and Arthur re-entered the room closely followed by Morgana and Merlin. Morgause stared at them all and Morgana launched herself at her landing on the bed heavily and wrapping her pale arms around Morgause hugging her tightly. Morgause put her arms around her in some surprise, Morgana had looked so relieved and Morgause got the feeling that there was something she was missing. Her eyes fell on Merlin and she glared at him; why was the person who had almost murdered her sister standing in front of her looking at her with rather relieved eyes? Morgana withdrew from Morgause and said 'oh Morgause we didn't think you would wake up'

She sounded so heart broken that Morgause smiled at her before saying 'I'm alright' a small frown appeared on her forehead 'why didn't you think I would wake up?'

Morgana frowned 'don't you remember anything?'

'I remember standing in the hall in Camelot then feeling a sharp pain in my head, why?'

Morgana looked anxious 'you've been asleep for five days!'

Morgause stared at her 'what happened?' she felt a mounting sense of panic. Why couldn't she remember why Morgana looked so scared?

Morgana took a deep breath and told Morgause everything about Nimueh. When she had finished Morgause stared at her but all she said was 'who's Helena?'

Morgana sighed; Morgause had a knack of always jumping to the most important and usually the most complicated thing. Arthur moved towards the bed and stood beside Morgana. Morgause stared at him; she was still obviously puzzled about why he was there and why he looked so concerned. At that moment Helena appeared next to Merlin who jumped slightly 'sorry I'm late I couldn't get away' said Helena her eyes moving to Morgana and Morgause. Helena walked around the other side of the bed and smiled softly at Morgause 'are you feeling better?'

Morgause looked slightly surprised 'yes I suppose. I take it your Helena?' when Helena nodded her assent Morgause said 'Morgana was just about to tell me but I suppose you can; who are you?'

Helena hesitated, her eyes met Morgana's and it was clear that she was wondering the same thing; was Morgause strong enough yet to know the truth? Helena sighed, there was no way they could hide it forever, especially with the way Morgana and Morgause where connected in their minds. 'My full name is Helena de Bois…I am your aunt'

Morgause stared at Helena her brain registering what she had just said. Slowly her mind connected the dots; de Bois, which was the name of Arthur's mother… that meant that Igraine must be her mother as well. Morgause glanced at Morgana who didn't seem to be either concerned nor surprised just anxious. 'Are you saying that Igraine is my mother?' asked Morgause

Helena nodded 'yes'

Morgause looked over Morgana's shoulder at Arthur and realised why he looked so anxious about her; he was her half brother. Morgana touched Morgause's hand 'Gorlois was our father and Igraine was our mother'

Morgause blinked in surprise then looked rather bewildered; Morgana had gone from being her half sister to not being related to her at all to being her full sister. She turned her head to look at Helena and tilted her head studying her. She had only ever seen Igraine once and that had been when she had summoned her for Arthur. Her eyes moved over Helena's features; her hair had the same loose curls yet it was a different colour. Her big emerald green eyes suddenly reminded her of Morgana's._ Yes _she thought _she looks like Igraine and Morgana and… she looks like me_ as she thought that she realised it was true, Helena was undoubtedly related to her. Morgause frowned slightly 'can someone please explain to me what's been going on the last few days?'

At this point Merlin spoke up 'I'll leave you all to it. I have something to do'. Morgana glanced at him and smiled. As he left his eyes met Morgause's and he found that she was watching him with a mixture of caution and puzzlement. Outside Merlin leaned against the door and stared up at the ceiling and remembered what Helena had said several days ago _'you will have to forgive Morgause you know and soon' _now Merlin realised exactly what she meant; Morgana loved him just as much as he loved her but Morgause was her sister. He could never force Morgana to choose him or Morgause, nor would he want to, it would tear her in two. Merlin sighed how was he supposed to forgive Morgause? She had turned Morgana against them all, she had caused the events that had forced him to poison her…how could he forgive that? _Uther_ he thought suddenly _Uther is to blame for all this. Uther had turned Morgana against them by his actions long before Morgause had even turned up in Camelot. _Suddenly he fully realised that it was Uther, it was always Uther. It was Uther who had torn families apart, Uther who had caused all this hate and misery, Uther who was responsible for the fact that neither Morgana nor Morgause would ever meet their parents. Merlin looked up suddenly, hearing the sound of footsteps, and swore; Uther Pendragon was walking down the corridor scowling. Merlin was about to step into the shadow of the doorway when he suddenly remembered that Arthur had made him his magical adviser not two days ago and that that put him at the same rank as Uther. Drawing himself up, lifting his chin and straightening his jacket that marked him as a noble, Merlin watched Uther walk past and tried to look innocent.

Uther looked at him then walked over glaring at him 'so Merlin, you weren't just a faithful servant' when Merlin said nothing he sneered 'you might have twisted Arthur's mind but you will never convince me; magic is evil'

Merlin laughed 'I don't expect you to change your mind; your guilt has twisted it. But I warn you, don't harm Morgana or Helena; if you do I will kill you'

Uther leaned forward and examined Merlin's face then smiled slightly 'you're hiding something' it was a statement not a question and Merlin suddenly felt very afraid that Morgana or Arthur would come bursting out talking about Morgause; not something that would be a good thing for Uther to hear at the moment.

'_Morgana don't come out' _called Merlin softly stretching out his mind towards her

'_Why?' _he felt her surprise and felt that he had interrupted something

'_Uther is out here, I don't know how long I can stop him from going in' _

'_Alright I'll tell Helena' _

'Well Merlin?' asked Uther 'what are you hiding?'

'_Merlin can you hold him off for a while, say three minutes?'_

'_Yes but whatever you're going to do, hurry!'_

Merlin smiled 'I'm not hiding anything are you hiding something Uther?'

Uther's gaze shifted to the door behind Merlin and he smiled 'I'll make a guess that it's something to do with that room'

Merlin panicked 'why would I have anything to do with that room?'

Uther simply smiled then suddenly shoved Merlin hard in the shoulder, then when Merlin hit the floor Uther flung the door open. Uther stormed into the room and frowned looking around; there was no one in the room.

Morgana watched Uther look around the room a small frown on his face then suddenly realised with shock that he couldn't see them. His eyes where sweeping the room passing right over them unseeing. Morgana turned her head to look at Helena who winked at her and suddenly realised why Uther couldn't see them; Helena had cast some kind of spell that prevented him. As Morgana moved to look back at Uther her eyes fell on Morgause and she blinked; Morgause was staring at Uther with such hatred that Morgana was surprised that Uther couldn't feel the force of her gaze. Morgana laid a hand on Morgause's arm and gripped it tightly Morgause broke her gaze away from Uther and looked at Morgana who shook her head ever so slightly; the last thing that they needed was the violent murder of the previous king. Uther continued to look around the room walking around as he did so then sighing he walked over towards the door and stopped turning to Merlin 'you are hiding something Merlin and I will find out' he then left quickly. Merlin rolled his eyes and shut the door remaining on the other side, still deciding to give the family some privacy.

Arthur turned back to Morgause 'so will you stay?' he, Morgana and Helena had just finished telling Morgause what had happened and he had asked Morgause if she would stay at Camelot permanently when they had been interrupted by Merlin.

Morgause stared at him, usually whenever she had looked at him before he had seen a sort of burning flame in her eyes but now that flame was gone as if Nimueh being in side her had drained her of all her fiery strength, 'Arthur…I…' she didn't know what to say, the realisation that Arthur was one of the only family members she had left was taking a while to seep in.

Helena glanced from one to the other then said to Arthur 'Arthur can you give us a moment? There is something that Morgause should know' when Arthur nodded and had joined Merlin outside the room.

Outside Arthur joined Merlin and after a moments pause asked 'so exactly how many times have you saved my life?'

Merlin smirked slightly 'how many times have we been on an adventure since we met?' his smirk widened as Arthur raised his eyebrows 'well that's around the number of times I've saved your life'

Arthur stared at him then said 'why did you do it exactly?'

Merlin snickered, which Arthur was finding annoying, and said in a mono syllabic voice 'because of my destiny, trust me saving your life is no easy feet, for a pig-headed, stuck-up, self-centred prince you caused a lot of trouble'

Arthur scowled and cuffed Merlin around the head, pointing a threatening finger at him he said 'shut it Merlin, I can still trow you in the stocks'

Merlin bowed mockingly 'yes milord'

Arthur sighed 'Merlin I think Morgana is really rubbing off on you'

* * *

Back inside the room Helena turned to Morgause and asked 'what's holding you back?'

Morgause sighed 'Helena for my whole life I have hated the Pendragon family now I find out that my mother was his mother and that he is one of the only family members I have left. Besides I can't live in the same castle as Uther, I've strived my whole life to kill him'

Helena tilted her head and said quietly 'could you live in the same castle with him for about a week if it meant you could have a proper home and family?'

Morgause frowned slightly 'I suppose if it was only for a week but what has that got anything to do with it?'

'Because when Morgana locked Uther down in the dungeons he caught a virus that isn't infectious but can not be cured by any magical or non-magical cure; he will be dead within a week at the latest and there is no way of saving him'

Morgause and Morgana stared at her unable to believe that something as natural as a cold would be the death of Uther 'that's why you sent Arthur outside, you don't want him to feel helpless' said Morgana slowly her head reeling from the shock.

Helena nodded 'your hate will die with him and there will be nothing to stop both of you from settling down here with people who care for you'

Morgause and Morgana continued to stare at her in complete disbelief so Helena sighed and said 'if you want I can show you' Morgana and Morgause blinked then nodded. Helena closed her eyes and murmured something that the others where unable to hear. For a moment nothing happened then both relied backwards as both felt the scene shift before their eyes.

_Uther was lying in his bed his eyes closed. His skin looked like yellowing parchment and his breathing was slow yet shallow. Arthur and the members of the royal guard where standing around his bed looking down at him. Arthur's expression was a mixture of sadness and regret as if he was regretting all the conflict he and his father had had over the last few weeks. The scene shifted and Arthur was standing beside a grave with the words:_

_Uther Pendragon _

_Loved and hated in equal measure_

_He will never be forgotten _

_Written on the white gravestone above some dates. Helena, Morgause and Morgana walked up to him and stood side-by-side staring down at the fresh pile of earth. All looked solum and a bit sad but finally Arthur turned away and walked back towards the castle followed by his family._

Morgana and Morgause drew out of the vision with a gasp; neither had experienced someone else's vision before. Both stared at Helena who gave them a small smile 'is that the proof you need? He will be dead soon'

'Please Morgause. I need you and Camelot has changed, I promise' pleaded Morgana looking up at her sister with her green eyes.

Morgause looked down at her sister said 'your in love with Merlin aren't you'

It wasn't a question it was a statement and Morgana grinned realising that there was nothing she could keep from her sister 'yes Morgause I am but I have Arthur and Helena for a family as well, please Morgause you always used to talk about how much you wanted a family and how glad you where that you had me…please'

Morgause sighed then said with a small smile 'alright I'll give it a chance'

Morgana grinned and hugged Morgause tightly. Arthur opened the door and entered looking slightly worried and Morgana turned to him with a big grin on her face 'she will stay'

Arthur grinned back and smiled at Morgause then turned to Helena and said 'what was it you wanted to say?'

Helena walked over to him and said 'I was going to say that I think it would be I wise idea to, when Morgause is feeling a better, introduce her to the court; we don't want anyone to find her here and begin to wonder if she was here before the law was established. If that's all right with you?' she asked turning back to Morgause.

Morgause shrugged 'sure. I feel fine so we can do it when ever your ready' as she spoke she swung her legs out of bed and stood up slowly. Once Arthur was sure that she wasn't going to suddenly collapse he said his good byes telling them all that he had some training to do.

Morgana and Helena continued to watch Morgause as if concerned that she would suddenly drop. Morgause then asked a question 'is there a place I can wash, it's been a while?'

Helena nodded and pointed to the small room behind a curtain suitable for taking a bath. Both Morgana and Helena watched her walk slowly over to the curtain and disappear behind it. Helena continued to stare at it for a second in puzzlement then suddenly smiled and turned to Morgana 'well done, I didn't know that you could transport energy to other people'

Morgana said nothing for a second the said 'I had to do something Helena, I was scared'

Helena sighed 'I know just promise me you won't perform that spell again until I teach you about it'

Morgana raised an eyebrow 'why?'

'Transporting energy from one place to another is one of the most complicated forms of magic if you are not properly shown how to do it. I will explain another times all right? Just remember that just because you know how to perform a spell that doesn't mean you should use it'

Morgana nodded and called out to Morgause 'Morgause, I'm in the room next door I'll be there when your finished okay? There is something I need to do'

Morgause's voice sounded slightly muffled when she replied 'okay…am I being, err, introduced to the court today or tomorrow?'

Morgana glanced at Helena who hesitated then replied slowly 'when do you want to be able to walk around?'

'Well as soon as possible, I need some fresh air'

'How about we do it tomorrow?' asked Helena

'Can I go to the forest? Or is that too dangerous?' there was a note of sarcasm in Morgause's voice as she asked this question

Helena smiled 'I'm sure you can do that, if anyone sees you they wont think it's strange'

'Please be careful though, Nimueh is out there some where and she has a body' said Morgana anxiously

'I've looked after myself for almost as long as I can remember, I'm sure that I can cope with a walk'

* * *

Morgause walked under the green light that poured though the thick canopy of forest leaves and sighed. She felt that she needed a place to sit and relax for a while, more then that she felt that she needed some time to take everything in, who she was, the fact that she had a family, the fact that she had been possessed for several months. Morgause walked a fair way into the forest, until she was out of sight from Camelot and then sat down on a fallen tree trunk and leaned against the strong thick bough that protruded from the trunk. This trunk had once been one of the topmost branches of the ancient oak behind her back. There where old birds nests here and there and there was a whole in which an owl had once lived. There were deep scratches in its bark that told her that this tree had been a favourite play place for possums. Yet despite this branch's significant importance to many beasts and birds all it had taken was a little bit of rottenness and some extra weight to bring it crashing down and this once so important branch was already covered in a layer of moss. Morgause sighed; all it took was a small thing and your whole life could change. Yesterday she had been alone, Morgana wasn't even related to her, now she had an aunt, a sister and a half-brother and the person she hated the most in the world would soon be dead... she could start again. That had been what she had always wanted; to start again without the hate and responsibility resting on her shoulders, she had always had this idea of settling down and starting a family in the back of her mind but had always known that she could never do it because she would very likely die in her quest for revenge. Now well… anything could happen. Suddenly she heard a twig snap and turned her head in the direction of the sound in time to see a young doe bound out of the bushes to her left and speed across the clearing. Several seconds later a young man pushed his way though the thicket, his bow taunt, his muscles tense, and as he was about to let fly he froze, seeing her. Lowering his bow her stared at her and she stared back. He had light-brown longish hair and his eyes, which stared into hers, were a darkish brown colour. His skin was tanned and he had a sensitive extremely handsome face. The whole effect was one that would of made any women stop and stare at him in the street. But Morgause suddenly realised that she had seen him before somewhere.

The young man swung his bow over his shoulder and walked over to her, it was then that she finally found her tongue 'I'm sorry I spoiled your hunt' she said rather sheepishly

The young man smiled 'oh there are plenty of other deer around' he tilted his head slightly studying her 'my name's Lancelot by the way'

He held out a hand and she took it 'I'm Morgause, weren't you one of the knights that was with Arthur that time?'

He grinned and sat down a comfortable distance away 'yeah, your display was pretty impressive, though of corse it wasn't actually you was it? By the way are you feeling better?'

Morgause smiled at him 'do you know how many times I've had to answer that question over the last few hours? Its getting kind of annoying'

Lancelot laughed 'tell me about it, I once got slashed by a griffin that couldn't be killed and Merlin wouldn't stop asking me afterwards whether I was alright' he must of noticed the way Morgause's eyes darkened at the mention of Merlin and he asked 'don't you like Merlin?'

Morgause raised an eyebrow 'I've been on the opposite side to Camelot for almost the moment I was born, how could I not hate him with the way he has been spoiling my plans for the last year? But yes I suppose its more personal' when Lancelot gave her a questioning look she sighed then told him what Merlin had done to Morgana

When she had finished Lancelot said slowly ' I can see why you dislike him…but from what I've seen Merlin loves Morgana…I don't think he felt he had a choice'

Morgause sighed 'I know, what hurts most is the fact that I know I'm partly to blame for what happened to Morgana if I had told her exactly what would happen, if I had ensured that she would fall asleep as well then no suspicion would have come under her. You cant know what its like, taking the only person who means anything to you back to your home and trying desperately to cure them and having to watch them suffer over the next few weeks and feel like your loosing them and knowing you're responsible'

To her surprise Lancelot reached out a hand and placed it over hers, she looked up at him in surprise and he said 'you weren't to blame Morgause, you couldn't have known that there was an all knowing manipulative dragon under Camelot, you couldn't have stopped what happened from happening but you did the right thing; you could have chosen to kill Uther then and there but instead you chose to save Morgana and look where that has led, Arthur's king, Morgana is happy and your free, you have a family. If you hadn't done what you did none of this would have happened'

She blinked at him surprised to find that her eyes were blurry and then said quietly 'thanks Lancelot, that helped. What do you suggest I do though?'

Lancelot grinned 'apologise to Merlin, ask his forgiveness I think you will be surprised that the reason he is so resentful to you is that he feels guilty himself' there was a pause 'besides I do know what its like to feel like your loosing someone'

Morgause gave him an encouraging look and he continued 'Arthur is in love too you know, with Gwen Morgana's handmaiden. Coincidently until very recently he wasn't the only person who loved her' he sighed then continued 'I left Camelot partly because I didn't want to get in the way of their relationship and ever since I've been back seeing them together makes me feel sick. But recently I haven't been feeling so bad when I see them, its odd because its ever since-' he stopped, he had been about to say _since I saw you asleep._ _How much creepier can you get Lancelot?_ He thought.

Morgause however hadn't seemed to notice and she said softly 'I'm sure you will find someone else Lancelot, someone who loves you back'

He smiled then said suddenly 'hey, I heard that you beat Arthur once in a duel, is that true?'

She grinned 'yeah you should have seen the look on everyone's faces when I challenged him then when I bested him! I don't think anyone's jaw dropped further than Uther's! Why?'

Lancelot grinned 'I'm sorry to say that you're not alone, I beat Arthur once'

Morgause grinned 'well that's one thing we have in common over everyone else' they both laughed and were then silent for a while both thinking how odd it was that they were so comfortable with each other when they had only just met.

Just then Morgause felt a slight touch in her mind and sighed 'I should go Lancelot Morgana wants me'

She and Lancelot stood up and Lancelot removed his hand. They both blinked; neither had even been aware that his hand had still been there. 'I suppose I'll see you around' said Lancelot smiling

Morgause nodded 'I hope so, besides your one of Arthur's knights I should see you around' there was a pause then she said 'good bye Lancelot' and then after his good bye turned and walked back towards Camelot.

Lancelot watched her till she was out of sight, waving when she turned to wave at him, then removed his bow from his shoulder, nocked an arrow to it and speed along the ground tracking the doe. As he moved he was surprised to feel that the tight, burning sensation in his chest was all but gone.

* * *

Merlin fingered the ring in his pocket. He still wasn't comfortable in his new jacket that showed by its quality that he was a noble; it was stiff and even his new boots felt stiff. Merlin's thoughts however were not on his clothes but on the ring in his pocket that felt surprisingly heavy. He and Morgana had been together for a week, a short time yes but they had known each other for at least two years. Also as Arthur had told him yesterday rumours were already starting to spread about the amount of time that he spent in Morgana's chambers and like Arthur he knew that it wasn't proper until they were at least engaged. So that was what he was going to do he was going to propose. Merlin knocked on Morgana's door and opened it. Morgana was sitting at her desk reading but she sprang up when Merlin walked in and walked over to him.

She kissed him then said 'where did you go?'

Merlin took a deep breath then pulled the gold ring out of his pocket and took her hands 'Morgana I love you and I don't want anything to sperate us. Will you marry me?'

Morgana stared speechless at the glittering object between Merlin's finger and thumb and smiled 'Merlin, what do you think?'

In answer Merlin stood up and kissed her tenderly then suddenly swung her around, lifting her off her feet. When he set her down he said quietly in her ear 'I don't think you have a choice'

All Morgana could do was laugh.

* * *

Lancelot walked though the streets of Camelot, his feet taking him down the road towards the pub where he knew he would find Gawain. He usually took in the bustling streets, watched the way people went about their daily lives smiled when children got under his feet; now however he noticed none of this he let his feet lead him along. The expression on his handsome face was a somewhat comical mix of puzzlement, confusion and something like elation. Morgause's words kept running though his mind _'I'm sure you will find some one who loves you back' _and Lancelot found himself asking; why had he loved Gwen? He barely knew her though he had risked his life to save her… but had that really been love? Or had it been something as simple as friendship and a feeling of honour and responsibility?

Lancelot nearly jumped out of his skin when a voice called his name. Turning he saw Gwen hurrying towards him a broad smile on her face. Lancelot smiled weakly as she approached him and said 'Lancelot! Where have you been I've been wanting to see you!' she smiled at him

Lancelot smiled without much enthusiasm 'I've been out and about… hunting mostly' he replied quietly thinking once again of Morgause and his conversation with her.

Gwen smiled 'I heard that you where up against Morgause, though admittedly I shouldn't be surprised that you came out unscathed'

'Nimueh' he corrected automatically aware that Gwen was actually complementing him. He saw Gwen's expression flicked slightly and sighed, deciding to get straight to the point 'I wish you happiness in you relationship with Arthur'

Gwen frowned at him slightly 'Arthur is King, Lancelot and I'm just a serving maid there is no chance-'

Lancelot interrupted her, his voice becoming stronger as he spoke 'exactly Arthur is King, he loves you and because of that he will marry you' he turned to face her fulling 'I'm sorry Gwen but this isn't going to work out; you have chosen Arthur and I don't reproach you for that, I wish you all happiness. We can still be friends, Gwen, but I'm sorry you cant love me and Arthur' he took her hand brushed her hand with his lips lightly and turned and walked away, leaving her standing stricken and knew he had done the right thing. It was only when he reached the pub door that he realised that he neither regretted it nor found it hard…if anything it was a relief.

He had finally moved on.

* * *

It was several hours later that Merlin was walking down the spiralling staircase that lead to the lower chambers wondering what Gaius's reaction would be when he suddenly bumped into Morgause. The two of them stared at each other for a moment then Morgause said 'Merlin, can I talk to you?'

Merlin nodded and the two of them walked up the spiral staircase to a small-enclosed area Morgause turned to face him. There was a small silence and Morgause tilted her head slightly then 'Merlin I just wanted to say that I'm sorry, sorry for putting Morgana in danger and sorry for forcing you to do what you did'

Merlin stared at her in disbelief; if he hadn't seen Morgause's lips move he wouldn't of believed that she had said it and as it was he was struggling to comprehend that his senses weren't deceiving him. 'Are you Morgause? Do you known what it feels like to have to poison someone that you care about to save an entire city? Do you know what its like to feel that person dying in your arms, to see the way they stare at you in such disbelief because they thought they you cared and that you would protect them?' He turned away from her and glared at the opposite wall; he could never forgive her, she didn't know what it had felt like, and she had made him do it, made him hurt one of the only people who meant anything to him in the world.

For a moment he though Morgause had left then he heard her say quietly 'do you know what it feels like to realise that your not alone in the world, Merlin, to realise that you have a family? Do you know what it feels like to feel that person choking and dying, to feel their distress? Do you know what it feels like to know that it's your fault, that you were partially responsible? Do you know what its like to have to spend weeks trying to cure the only person you care about? Watching them suffer, feeling them suffer and not being able to do anything? Do you know what it feels like realising that the only person you care about in the world could die and being able to do nothing?'

Slowly Merlin turned to face her. He stared at her realising suddenly that there were unshed tears in her eyes. Merlin sighed; he knew that she was really sorry, he remembered how she had cried when she had held Morgana in her arms, remembered the fear, anger, guilt and shock in her eyes as she had sunk to the floor. He took a deep breath 'well we share one thing in common at least; we both care deeply for Morgana'

Morgause smiled sadly and said 'and Arthur'

Merlin frowned 'you care for Arthur? You've been awake for only a few hours'

Morgause raised an eyebrow 'a just spent several hours sitting in the forest thinking. A lot can be achieved when there are no distractions, plus I can read peoples minds if I want to. Family means everything to me Merlin; it was the reason I took revenge on Uther, the reason I am staying in Camelot. Arthur is part of that family'

Merlin nodded he could understand that, understand why Morgause had made her decision to stay in Camelot so quickly when she had realised that she had a family here. There was a slight pause then he remembered something 'by the way Morgana and I are getting married'

Morgause blinked then said 'I trust that you will do everything in your power to keep her happy?' when Merlin nodded she smiled 'we both want Morgana to be happy and I can see that being with you will make her happy…' Morgause suddenly held out her hand.

Merlin stared at it realising that Morgause was offering a truce at the very least then after a slight hesitation took it. For a few seconds they remained standing there shaking hands until both realised how absurd the situation felt. Merlin's face cracked into a comical grin before he could prevent himself and Morgause snorted at the absurd expression on his face. Suddenly both giggled and burst into wild laughter unable to prevent them selves. In the corridor outside the room several doors down two guards cracked into rare smiles; the sound was infectious.

* * *

**_wow! so excited to finally have this chapter up!_**

**_i cant say when the next chapter will be up but it will be this weekend!_**

**_please Review! i am still open to constructive criticism! :)  
_**


	7. Gargoyles and Tricks

**_As promised the next chapter is up!_**

**_ok in this chapter Morgause meets the court and things dont go as planned..._**

**_please read and enjoy!_**

* * *

****_**Chapter 6 ~ Gargoyles and Tricks**_

'What's going on?' whispered a serving maid to her friend. Both were standing at the door that lead onto the great hall watching as the members of the court, nobles and royal members of the household assembled.

'King Arthur announced early today that some one important would be arriving. Apparently he also said that they are a reformed magic user' replied her friend craning her neck to peer over the crowd. 'There are rumours going around that it's a woman' the two friends giggled hysterically then fell silent abruptly as the doors opened and the King, the Lady Morgana, his magical adviser and two of his most skilful knights entered.

Arthur walked to his chair and turned to face the crowd 'my friends, today we shall be welcoming two people to Camelot; I would ask you to treat them with respect no matter who they are, they are my guests' there was a murmur of assent and anticipation.

'Two guests?' gasped the girls 'oh how exciting!'

There was a small pause filled with anticipation and excitement then the doors began to open. The two friends craned their necks and gasped in astonishment when they saw who had entered; first came a tall, elegant, slender woman with long golden-brown hair and startling emerald green eyes. She was wearing a dress that matched the colour of her eyes, richly embroidered with gold threads that twisted and turned in a pattern that was impossible to follow making it look like the dress was twirling around her. Every eye in the room followed this woman as she gracefully crossed the hall before stopping to curtsey before Arthur. The King got up and walked over to her taking her hand he turned her to face the crowd. 'Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce Lady Helena de Bois' the sound of clapping was almost drowned by the gasps that followed; people knew that name, the name that had belonged the Arthur's mother. Lady Helena smiled at everyone then moved to a place were the guests stood during a court session, just like she knew exactly were to stand.

There was a moment's pause as everyone turned to the doorway and watched as the next figure walked in. The gasps that rose from the crowd were even more audible then before as they watched the woman cross the hall. Dressed in a ruby red dress embroidered with gold, long richly curled blond hair falling down her back there was no mistaking that the person crossing the hall was the person who had beaten Arthur in single combat; the sorceress Morgause.

'Every one I would like to introduce my half-sister Morgause' said Arthur smiling at her. Everyone gasped then almost simultaneously all heads turned to look at Uther. The former king was standing at the back of the room hidden in the shadows making it impossible to see his face. Everyone then turned to look at Arthur expecting some sort of explanation…they never got it.

Before Arthur could say anything a huge shadow swept towards the massive stained glass windows and a second later crashed into it. The glass shattered inwards, some people had time to throw themselves on the ground while others where completely covered in little shards of glass. People screamed either in pain and fear and sprinted towards the doors 'everyone out now!' shouted Arthur over the noise of the crowd and as the last people exited he drew his sword and turned to face…nothing.

Arthur blinked and looked around the room expecting to see some sort of horror hovering above him but there was nothing there. Arthur turned perplexed eyes to those who had remained; Helena, Merlin, Morgana, Morgause, Lancelot, Gawain and a scattering of knights who had been there to find that they were all looking as perplexed as he felt.

Gawain was the first to speak 'please tell me I didn't imagine that' his voice was shaky

Arthur turned to Helena who he knew was the most experienced person there 'no you didn't imagine that' he raised his eyebrows at his aunt

Helena shrugged her shoulders 'the most likely explanation would be the what ever it was flew at the window, hit it and at the last moment rocketed in the opposite direction. It probably wants to fight us outside; most fliers aren't very good at maeuvering in tight places'

Arthur nodded, turned and lead the way outside turning sharply someway down the corridor that lead onto a large balcony that looked over the courtyard and gasped. A creature from nightmares was crouched on one of the castles many turrets. It had huge leathery bat like wings, long arms that ended in sharp talons and its body was musclier. Its head was thin and consisted mainly of a long sharp beak and its eyes were small and evil looking. It had to be one of the ugliest creatures Arthur had ever seen. It turned its head side ways to glare down at them all and its beak parted to reveal numerous sharp teeth. 'What is it?' asked Arthur hearing the horror in his own voice.

Helena moved to stand beside him and looked up at the creature 'it's a gargoyle' she said quietly

'You mean some one has made the statues around here come alive again?' Morgana sounded more annoyed then afraid as she took a position beside Merlin and Morgause

'No' said Helena calmly looking up at the now hissing gargoyle 'those statues are simple statues; this is the real thing, see how its not made of stone? The statues are modelled on the real thing…which I am afraid is far more deadly then a statue'

'Great' said Lancelot rolling up his sleeves and drawing his sword 'I can't get a moments peace around here'

Morgause standing beside him grinned 'of course not you'd get bored'

Merlin turned his head to look behind him as the slightest of movement's caught his eye then suddenly screamed 'get down' he grabbed Morgana forcing her to the floor and saw Arthur, his knights and Morgause throw themselves flat just in time to avoid the huge creature that had dived towards them moments before. The friends raised their heads to watch the creature as it landed on the edge of the balcony several metres away. Its facial features where different in appearance to the other gargoyle; its head was larger and its face resembled that of a humans, with large fangs that protruded from its mouth and it had horns sticking out of its head. As the friends pulled themselves up right the two ugly creatures were joined by a third with a face that resembled something like a gorilla's.

'Great' muttered Arthur 'there cant just be one can there?'

With a sudden shrieking hiss the trio of gargoyles launched them selves towards them. The first; the one with an apes face reached them by scuttling forwards over the railing. Merlin watched in surprise as Morgana and Morgause both moved in synchronised movements both taking a step forwards, their left arms coming up over their heads then coming down to meat their right. Both bent their arms inwards then thrust them out before them opening their hands like a clamshell. A ball of pulsing blue energy shot out of their hands colliding in mid air and striking the gargoyle in the centre of its chest and the gargoyle immediately let out a howl of pain then dropped over the banister. Merlin heard the crunch of breaking bones as it hit the ground. All this happened in a few seconds but it distracted Merlin enough so that when the second gargoyle came at him he barely ducked in time to avoid its sharp beak. Rolling he came up to see that Arthur and his knights where fighting the gargoyle with the fangs and horns and that Morgana and Morgause were fighting the other off him. Looking around he saw that Helena was standing alone facing a fourth gargoyle that had just joined the fight, it looked like a hunched lizard with wings and looked far bigger then the other three. Merlin pulled himself up right and ran to join her.

Lancelot ducked and rolled as the gargoyle with the horns lunged towards him its muscular arms seeking to pull him into a crushing embrace. When he came up he saw that it had taken more of a leap then a lunge and had landed almost on top of Morgause who whirled in time to be hit hard in the face as it brought its arm though the air to steady its self. Morgause landed on her back and the gargoyles huge foot came down to pin her to the ground. 'Oy! You, ugly over here!' yelled Lancelot waving his sword around in the air to catch the beasts attention.

The creature launched over towards him faster then he had anticipated and he only just had time to jump out of its reach tripping over his own feet in the process. Shaking his head to clear it Lancelot saw the gargoyle looming over him an absurd expression of triumph on its twisted face. Then suddenly it staggered forwards as if it had been hit in the back and Lancelot watched as two hands suddenly grabbed hold of its horns. It turned around bucking, trying to throw the person of its back. Morgause hung on grimly to its horns and braced her knees against its twisted back. Throwing her weight backwards she managed to get the gargoyle to lift its head and stagger backwards a bit. 'Morgana!' screamed Morgause.

Morgana turned and shot a ball of energy towards the gargoyle and without checking to see if it hit turned back to her own fight. The ball it the gargoyle in the stomach and it kneeled slowly over before crashing to the ground. Morgause leapt off its back, turned and reached out a hand to Lancelot. Lancelot allowed her to pull him to his feet and said 'thanks'

Morgause simply smiled 'you saved my life. Come on you can finish your apologises later' she added hurriedly as Lancelot opened his moth to continue. He grinned then picked his sword up off the floor and followed her back to the fight.

With two gargoyles dead the fight became easier. Morgana, Morgause and Merlin fought the sharp beaked one while Arthur, his knights and Helena converged on the lizard-gargoyle. But suddenly just when they thought they were going to win both gargoyles turned their heads to look up at the sky as if they could see something the others couldn't then first the lizard-gargoyle then the beaked-gargoyle propelled themselves backwards with their wings and soared up into the sky and were soon flying away to the east. Arthur frowned and turned to the others 'what was that about?' he asked

Morgana shrugged 'maybe they realised they couldn't win'

Helena shook her head 'no there was something wrong about that attack' when the others all turned to her she continued 'gargoyles are not smart creatures. If a gargoyle wanted to attack us it wouldn't of warned us before hand by crashing to that window. Plus everyone of those gargoyles were male, you can tell by the noises they make and male gargoyles are solitary creatures, they very rarely travel in groups'

Morgause frowned 'then why did they attack us?'

Merlin was frowning 'maybe Nimueh sent them?'

'But why so few? Surely she knew that she couldn't defeat us with only four gargoyles' said Lancelot turning to look in the direction the gargoyles had left in.

'Maybe she wanted to distract us or maybe she wanted to see how advanced with our magic we are' suggested Morgana

Merlin's eyes suddenly widened and he turned to look at Arthur who seemed to realise the same thing. Then both turned and sprinted back towards the hall. The others stared at each other in surprise and Gawain had just opened his mouth to speak when both Merlin and Arthur came running back. They stopped before their friends and Arthur panted out 'its gone'

'What's gone?' asked Morgause in surprise looking from her half-brother to her soon-to-be brother-in-law

Merlin took a deep breath and said 'the cup of life, its gone'

**_unexpected twist? did any of you guess that was going to happen?_**

**_please review and still open to ideas :)_**

**_next chapter will hopefully be up in a few days :D  
_**


	8. A Hard Decision

**_hey everyone!_**

**_here is the next chapter in which we find out why the cup of life was stolen and who stole it... _**

**_and Helena seems to be hiding something..._**

**_oh and to fans of the Morgause/Lancelot relationship i think you will like this chapter_**

**_so one again read and enjoy!_**

* * *

****_**Chapter 7 ~ A Hard Decision **_

'I can't believe we fell for that!' cried Merlin in frustration slamming his hand on the support beam of Arthur's four-poster bed. He, Morgana, Morgause and Lancelot had been invited to join Arthur in his room for a conference, Gawain and the other knights had gone to see if the gargoyles had done any other damage and Helena had left with the explanation that she needed to check something.

Arthur sighed 'what else could we do? If we had ignored those things then they would of rampaged though the streets probably killing many people'

Morgause shook her head slowly 'what I don't understand is why does Nimueh need the cup of life? She already has enough energy to create a body'

Merlin shrugged 'maybe she wants to create some sort of immortal army?'

'Great that's just what we need; an immortal army controlled by one of Camelot's greatest foes'

'What do we do?' asked Morgana quietly

Lancelot turned to Morgana, Merlin and Morgause 'can the three of you put some sort of wards around Camelot?'

Merlin shook his head 'I haven't got that far yet' he glanced at Morgana and raised his eyebrows

Morgana shook her head and turned to her sister who hesitated 'I can put a ward around Camelot that will warn us of impending danger and I can put several traps around the border that will be set off only by certain people… but I can't put a protective wall around'

Arthur nodded 'that's a good idea; Camelot needs all the help it can get against Nimueh. Do you think Helena could place a protective wall around?'

'Probably, she knows a lot more then we do' stated Morgause.

Arthur nodded 'can you and Helena put those wards around us when she gets back?' when Morgause nodded he said 'right I'm going to have a talk with Gaius; I'll see if he has any idea what Nimueh is going to do. Then I need to talk to the guard'. The group split up; Morgana and Merlin going to the library to see what they could find and Morgause and Lancelot leaving to see if they could find Helena.

Lancelot and Morgause walked around the castle checking all the rooms that they guessed Helena could be. Suddenly Morgause stopped and turned to look at Lancelot and asked 'why did you distract that gargoyle Lancelot?'

Lancelot turned to look at her in surprise 'it could have killed you'. Though it was a simple reason both felt that there was more behind it.

Morgause shook her head 'I could have dealt with it and you could have died, why risk it?' she persisted

Lancelot folded his arms 'it would have crushed you before you could do anything, besides why did you jump on its back?'

Morgause blinked then sat down on one of the castles privet window seats 'if I had hit it with a spell it could have toppled forwards and crushed you. Your still not answering my question'

Lancelot sighed and sat down beside her 'fine I'll tell you; I thought that it was going to kill you and I didn't want that to happen…I like you Morgause. Why didn't you just hit it with magic?' he turned intense eyes on her wondering what her answer would be.

Morgause stared at him in surprise unsure exactly what to say. Why hadn't she just hit it with magic? Why did she care about Lancelot? _Care… _Morgause blinked then looked up at Lancelot again and said 'I care about you Lancelot' and as soon as the words escaped her mouth she knew that they where true.

Lancelot stared at her in shock completely surprised that she felt the same way he did. He leaned forward slowly and raised a hand to her cheek, then closed the distance between them and kissed her. It was like receiving an electric shock; warmth suddenly blossomed in his stomach spreading up to his heart and all around his body. He felt Morgause's lips curl in a smile as she kissed him softly back. Slowly they drew apart and looked into each other's eyes. Lancelot saw slight surprise reflected back at him in Morgause's eyes and he smiled; he could still feel the warmth tingling in his fingers and chest. Morgause put her hand up around his neck and kissed him softly again, her mouth gently caressing his. Lost in that moment it was hard for either of them to believe that there was a looming danger hanging over Camelot that sought to destroy them all.

Morgana slammed the book shut with enough force to shake the table 'there is nothing here! What are we even looking for?'

Merlin sighed and shut his own book 'I don't know. Look I don't mean to open old wounds but how exactly did you and Morgause create that immortal army?'

Morgana sighed 'we put a drop of each of the soldiers blood into the cup and Morgause did something, some sort of spell that put them all under her control…but' she frowned 'if Nimueh planned to do the same thing she would need soldiers and as far as we know she doesn't have any friends' she stopped staring at Merlin 'what?'

Merlin was rapidly turning the rough of the book in front of him he stopped at a page and pointed 'what if she didn't need living soldiers? She is one of the most powerful priestesses of the old religion what if she wanted to raise the dead?' there was a picture of man walking across a grassy hill and his head was bent at an odd angle; he was quite clearly dead.

Morgana opened her mouth in horror 'but…that's what we did with the skeletons'

Merlin shook his head 'but you didn't have full control over them you just animated them. If Nimueh had full control them she could do any thing'

'What can we do?' asked Morgana shaking her head

Merlin sighed 'nothing, we need to talk to Helena she might be able to find Nimueh or something.'

Morgana frowned 'where is Helena anyway?'

'Right here' said Helena appearing next to the table.

Morgana grinned as Merlin flinched slightly then turned to Helena and frowned slightly 'where were you?'

'I wanted to see if I could find out who took the cup' replied Helena

'Isn't it kinda obvious who took it?' asked Merlin raising his eyebrows 'or is it some new enemy we should be worried about'

Helena smiled slightly 'its wasn't Nimueh who took it but the person who did is working for her'

Merlin and Morgana frowned 'who?'

Helena sighed 'the druid boy; Mordred'

Morgana gasped 'no! Mordred would never work for Nimueh!' she turned to look at Merlin 'right?'

Merlin sighed and glanced at Helena 'Morgana…look' he turned to Helena 'could you explain?'

Helena sat down beside Morgana and began 'Morgana, Mordred has a destiny…' she paused

Morgana turned her body to face Helena 'what kind of destiny?'

Helena sighed 'Mordred has a destiny to kill Arthur'

'And he knows it' added Merlin

Morgana stared at them shock resisted all over her face 'no' she said quietly 'surely he would of done something to stop it happening if he knew about it'

Helena shook her head 'Mordred knows and he well…lets just say that though he was raised with druids who tried to help him it seems that he doesn't want to change it'

Morgana was silent for a minute then said quietly 'do you mean that I have to choose between Arthur and Mordred?'

Helena sighed 'Nimueh knows how much you care for Mordred and she will play to that weakness. So in a way you do have to choose; between having a family and a life with people you care about or between helping a boy that will kill Arthur'

Morgana smiled tightly 'well I don't really have much choice then do I?'

Helena smiled 'there is always a choice Morgana, no one can make you choose' Helena stood up and smiled down at them both 'if you would excuse me there is something I need to do' with that she exited sharply before either could say anything

Morgana turned to frown at Merlin 'something's bothering her'

Merlin raised his eyebrows 'and it couldn't possibly be that there is a sorceress allied with a boy with a dark destiny trying to kill us all?'

Morgana laughed at him and chucked a quill at his head before suddenly turning serious 'you know something; we don't actually know that much about Helena. I mean she's, what, twenty-nine? What's she been doing for the last few years? I mean its not like she just popped into existence the moment we needed her; she obviously has a life'

Merlin frowned slightly 'you know your right, we all just sort of took it for granted that she would be here all the time and now that you come to mention it I have noticed that she is never around for the whole day. Maybe we should ask her?'

Morgana nodded 'I will' she paused then said 'Merlin I want you to know that I will never betray any of you to Mordred. I promise.'

Merlin reached out and took her hand 'I believe you Morgana'

It was several weeks later that the sun rose over Camelot on a cold morning to find that not everyone was happy. Morgause stood on the balcony that over looked the whole city, her back to the sunset and frowned. A lot had happened in the past two weeks; Camelot had celebrated two weddings, that of King Arthur to Gwen and of Merlin the adviser to the Lady Morgana. It had been a shock to a lot of people to here the announcements but the celebrations had been even more enthusiastic then any other recorded in the past few decades. Morgause smiled as she remembered the feasts, dances, songs and the magical firework display that Helena had provided. Then her smile slowly faded as she recounted the events of the past few days. As Helena had predicted Uther Pendragon had died no less then two days after his sons wedding and Morgause and Morgana had found that their hate had died with him. It angered Morgause to hear the rumours spreading quickly though Camelot that the news of his son's engagement to a serving girl had caused his speedy death; Morgause knew that it hurt Arthur deeply every time he heard that rumour. Then there was Nimueh; nothing had been heard of her in the last two weeks and in Morgause's opinion that was even worse then full scale attacks; the constant strain was beginning to show in everyone's eyes, when they woke up in the morning they would immediately look around expecting to see a horror at their window sill. In Morgause's opinion that was exactly what Nimueh wanted. Then there was also that thought that had been growing in the edge of Morgause's consciousness, something that she hadn't wanted to think about less it spoil every thing. She had never been so happy in her entire life, she had Morgana, Helena, Arthur and Lancelot… and even Merlin. Morgause watched out of the corner of her eye as her sister approached, stopping beside her and leaning over the balcony to watch as the suns rays touched the remains of the cold grey night.

Morgana turned to look up at her sister and frowned 'what's wrong?'

Morgause sighed; Morgana could always tell when she was up set 'I'm worried about Helena'

Morgana raised an eyebrow 'your worried about _Helena_?' she smiled 'if anyone can take care of her self its Helena' she glanced at Morgause again and frowned 'that's not what you mean is it?'

Morgause sighed 'I know that Helena doesn't spend all her days here but lately she's been looking worried; when people talk to her its like she doesn't hear them and she barely sticks around for more then an hour these days'

Morgana frowned 'you know she does look more strained then the rest of us'

'Maybe its because she's spending half her time trying to find out what Nimueh's up too' said Lancelot coming to stand beside Morgause and putting an arm around her waist.

Morgana couldn't help smiling; it had come as something of a shock to her when she had found out about Lancelot and Morgause's relationship but she had concluded that it had only been because she had been so wrapped up in her own relationship with Merlin. Morgana's smile turned suddenly to a worried frown and she turned to stare at the horizon 'what if Helena already found something?'

Lancelot and Morgause turned to look at her 'she would've told us wouldn't she?' said Lancelot frowning

'Not necessarily' said Merlin coming to stand close to Morgana and putting his arm around her shoulders 'we've all been pretty wrapped up in our own things, she might not have wanted us to worry'

Arthur and Gwen joined them and Gwen said 'how can we not worry? Nimueh and Mordred are out there somewhere and we have no idea what they are doing'

Morgana glanced at Gwen. She still marvelled at how much Gwen had changed since she had married Arthur; she now wore expensive clothes and a small golden crown was nestled in her curly brown hair. With the addition of these clothes and Arthur's support Gwen's confidence had grown though she still walked around with her head slightly bowed.

'Look there she is' said Arthur leaning forward over the edge to point. The others followed his hand and saw Helena standing next to a travelling sales man in deep conversation with him.

'Why don't we just ask her?' asked Morgause suddenly 'if we all confront her about it she can hardly refuse to tell us'

Gwen snorted but quietly enough so that it wasn't heard by anyone else; she was the only person out of the group who hadn't warmed up to Morgause, maybe it was partly because she still hadn't forgiven her for her past crimes but it might of also been that she was slightly jealous of Morgause's and Lancelot's relationship a feeling that annoyed her because she had no reason to be jealous of Morgause.

'All right that settles it; we ask Helena when she meets us in Arthur's study agreed?' asked Merlin to which there was a rumble of assent.

Helena opened the heavy wooden door to Arthur's study, shut it then paused when she saw the six of them gathered in the room. She raised her eyebrows then walked over to Arthur's bed and faced them 'have I done something wrong' she asked with a slightly sarcastic tone.

The six of them hastily rearranged their expressions realising that they'd been staring at Helena intently analysing her to see if she looked any different. It was Morgause who answered her question 'no. We just wanted to ask you something' she paused and glanced at Merlin.

Helena frowned 'go ahead I'm all ears'

Merlin cleared his throat 'err, well we err…' Merlin looked at the others for support.

Arthur moved forward 'we wanted to know whether you've found something out about Nimueh…we noticed that you've been looking really worried and preoccupied lately'.

Helena raised an eyebrow 'aren't we all worried at the moment?' there was a cold tone to her voice. There was an uneasy silence for a moment then Helena suddenly sighed and sat down suddenly on Arthur's bed. All of them stared at her in surprise; she suddenly looked exhausted, there where bags under her eyes and her eyes where slightly blood shot. She looked up at them and smiled slightly 'in answer to your question; yes I have found something out…I just haven't wanted to tell you…didn't want to spoil your happiness' she looked at them all.

'We all new that something had to come up sooner or later, you're not to blame' said Morgause gently 'what have you found?'

Helena hesitated for a moment then said 'I made contact with the druids that Mordred was living with' she sighed 'I take it that you all know that he was the one who took the cup while those gargoyles where distracting us?' when they nodded she continued 'well about a week ago Mordred disappeared with out a trace or warning. From what I can gather a few days before Mordred was seen talking to a woman on the outskirts of their camp; that woman was Nimueh. From what I've been able to find out Mordred is now openly working with Nimueh'.

There was a slight pause as they all allowed this to sink in then Lancelot said abruptly 'that's not all is it?'

Helena shook her head slightly 'no its not. A few days ago I talked to several of the Priestesses of the Old Religion and they told me that Nimueh is using the Cup of Life to create an army'

Arthur sighed 'I take it that it's not an ordinary army?'

Helena gave him a wry smile 'Nimueh's army is not fully alive and its not completely dead. She has created an inner army and an outer army; the outer army consists of about a hundred and fifty while the inner army is only about seventy'

Gwen interrupted her 'there must be some kind of complication right? Other wise there wouldn't be so few of them'

Helena nodded 'Nimueh has complete control over both armies, as a result though them she can use her powers; a short way of saying it would be that all two hundred and twenty have magic' she hesitated then continued 'the outer army can be killed by anyone but Nimueh has placed a certain ward on the inner army that means that those things-I suppose you could call them zombies- can only be killed by people who have magic'

Arthur and Lancelot stared at her both slowly realising what that meant, Arthur opened his mouth to protest but Helena held up her hand 'there is one thing though; these zombies can only see people that are a threat to them, its to do with some mistake Nimueh made when she was creating them, so they can't see children or someone who's to injured to hurt them. Consequently this also means that they cant see people who are unconscious or asleep'

'How do we fight the inner army then?' asked Lancelot.

Helena sighed '_you_ don't, they can only be killed by someone who has magic'

'What! You cant expect us to just sit by and let the people we love go and fight!' yelled Arthur

Helena sighed 'there is no need to shout Arthur I can hear you perfectly well' she stood up 'can I talk to you both?'

Lancelot and Arthur followed her out into the hall then into an empty room opposite. Once the door was closed Helena turned to them and said 'you can fight but not the inner army'

Lancelot shook his head 'what do you expect us to do? Walk away? We can't just fight then turn around and leave; how can you expect us to do that!'

Helena sighed and pressed her fingers to her temples 'please Lancelot don't make this any harder'

Arthur frowned 'so are you saying that I get my knights together and that we meat these things out on the battle field then once we've killed the outer army we all turn and come back to Camelot leaving you, Merlin, Morgana and Morgause to fight?'

Helena sighed 'I don't like it either Arthur…'

'There must be some other way!' cried Lancelot in desperation. He couldn't just walk away, he couldn't leave Morgause and the people who where beginning to feel like his family.

Helena shook her head 'trust me I've been spending hours thinking it over and there isn't any other way, unless you want to die you have to leave'

Arthur and Lancelot looked at each other then nodded 'we're going to fight even if it means that we'll die'

Helena shook her head again 'listen to me, both of you, you can't fight'

'Yes we can, we might not be able to kill them but we can injure them' said Arthur firmly

'And what do you think it will do to Morgause, Merlin and Morgana watching to two of you die?' asked Helena dryly

There was a pause as Lancelot and Arthur stared at her. Helena sighed and said 'its going to be hard enough for them realising that they probably won't come out of this alive, its going to be hard enough for them having to face those monsters. They won't be able to do it if you both end up dying. If you want to help them, want to give them a chance to survive then you have to let them fight alone'

There was a silence that seemed to press on all of their ears, Lancelot and Arthur looked at each other both slowly comprehending that they didn't really have a choice, they had to do what Helena was asking them to do, they had to leave. Arthur looked at Helena, their eyes meeting and he nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Helena looked relived that they had agreed and said 'good, look I need to have a word with Morgana and Morgause do you think you could fetch them for me?' Lancelot and Arthur nodded and left both feeling slightly numb.

Left alone for a few minutes Helena pressed her fingers to her temples again and muttered in her head '_this is harder than I thought it would be'_

A voice replied, a masculine voice that had a strong current of laughter running though it _'well you didn't expect it to be easy did you?' _the voice sounded slightly amused

'_No but, oh…. There are just too many complications and I'm worried that Lancelot and Arthur won't leave when its time to'_

'_What do you think Morgause and Morgana will do?' _asked the voice

'_I don't know they have a right to know but god I hope that they still want to fight, Merlin and I definitely can't fight that army on our own'_

'_Will you tell them about the prophecy?' _asked the voice

'_Yes. Speaking of which have you found out anything about that?'_

'_No because of Uther's meddling many artefacts of the old religion have been lost, and none now live who remember the whole prophecy… I was thinking about visiting the Isle of the Blessed there might be something there' _the voice paused then said quietly _'I wish I could help you' _there was a tender note to the voice now

Helena sighed _'you are helping me…'_

'_You know that's not what I meant' _

'_I know… how is she?' _asked Helena

'_She misses you, the short times you spend here aren't enough'_

'_I know, I know but can't you wait until this is over?'_

'_Of course I can wait. I'm just saying… be careful. She isn't the only one who wont recover if something happens to you'_

'I know' Helena didn't realise she had spoken these words aloud until she heard a voice say 'Helena?'

Helena opened her eyes; without her hearing them Morgana and Morgause had entered the room blinking she smiled at them 'sorry I was just thinking, now I wanted to know whether you two were sure you wanted to fight'

Morgause and Morgana stared at her 'of course we want to fight how could we not?' asked Morgana in surprise

Helena hesitated then said 'do they know?'

Morgause frowned at her 'do who know?' why was Helena acting so strangely?

Helena hesitated again before continuing 'Lancelot and Merlin, do they know?'

Morgana frowned and said with a hint of annoyance in her voice 'do they know what?'

Helena took a deep breath and said 'that you're both pregnant'

* * *

**_ha! should i leave it there? sorry to those who think this part is a bit cheesy but i couldnt resist._**

**_so do you like Morgause and Lancelot's first kiss? :D  
_**

**_oh and who do you think Helena is talking to?_**

**_by the way the part where Morgause is thinking about the firework display Helena gave at the weddings is inspired by Gandalf's fire works (Lord of the Rings)_**

**_sorry to all Uther fans but i couldnt think of a way for him to die with out it being a murder or something :)  
_**

**_next chapter will be up soon..._**

**_Please review!  
_**


	9. The Prophecy

**_hello again!_**

**_so Morgause and Morgana are pregnant!_**

**_ok to those of you who guessed who Helena was talking to a little clue: it can be a new character..._**

**_in this chapter Helena tells everyone about the Prophecy_**

**_and Morgana has one of her dreams_**

**_oh and there is a little scene between Arthur and Gwen (sorry its a little short :) _**

**_please enjoy!  
_**

* * *

_**Chapter 8 ~ The Prophecy**_

Morgana and Morgause stared at her then simultaneously both looked down at their stomachs as if expecting to see a physical change then both looked up at Helena visible shock on both their faces 'we're pregnant!' gasped Morgana

Morgause said nothing; she just looked at Helena and then said 'why would that affect whether or not we fight, we don't have much of a choice because either we fight here or we fight there'

Helena nodded then said 'you could leave or something'

'Helena, we both know that we probably wont make it thought this battle. And like Morgause said we will have to fight and if we fight with you and Merlin then there is more of a chance of winning'

Helena smiled 'so you'll fight?'

Morgause and Morgana nodded 'we fight'

'Are you going to tell Merlin and Lancelot?' asked Helena

Morgana and Morgause glanced at each other then shook their heads 'we will after, if we do now then that will just make them try and convince us not to fight… besides if we die and we had told them… we don't won't to put them though more pain then is necessary'

Helena gave them an odd look 'you too do just realise that you both just talked at the exact same time don't you?' when they blinked and looked surprised she said 'that's a good sign it means that you telepathy is improving and that your connections very strong' she turned and walked to the door 'come on I have to reveal this big prophecy to you all'

As they all made their way back a small voice spoke in Helena's head _'see that wasn't to hard' _

Helena smiled _'well at least they didn't ask 'how' it was possible which is a lot of peoples reaction when they find out they're pregnant'_

The voice in her head chuckled then said _'well telling them the prophecy should be relatively easy after that'_

Morgause walking beside Helena watched her smile then frown slightly and suddenly realised that that was how most people acted when they where talking to some one in their head. Cautiously stretching out her mind she came close enough so that she could hear the buzz of conversation in Helena's head then hastily with drew before Helena, who was far more experienced then she was, sensed her presence. Then she frowned, whom could Helena be talking to? She very much doubted that it was Merlin, Arthur, Gwen or Lancelot and it certainly wasn't Morgana. Morgause was still frowning and trying to puzzle it out when they entered Arthur's room. Arthur and Lancelot, Morgause noticed, still didn't look very happy about being left behind but they now looked resigned to it.

'So' asked Merlin 'this prophecy… it's not a full one?'

Helena shook her head 'I can tell you the first part though If you like' when they all nodded Helena recited

'_Morgana, Morgause, Merlin and Arthur_

_Two Sorceresses, A Warlock and the Once and Future King_

_One will make a choice, a choice that will define the future of everyone she cares about_

_One will fall in love and prevent one of the biggest disasters of Camelot; a love triangle between a knight, a king and a queen_

_One will learn to forgive and love again and realise that he can be happy and fulfil his destiny_

_One will find family in surprising people and realise that that is the most important thing._

_One will become the greatest king of all time_

_Two will become two of the greatest sorceresses ever known_

_One will become one of the most powerful warlocks the world has ever seen_

_A Warlock, Two Sorceresses; each has a power never seen before, matched only by each other' _

Helena stopped speaking and looked at their wide-eyed faces and said 'I'm afraid that's all I can only assume that it goes on to talk about Nimueh's revenge and what the out come will be'

There was a pause broken by Morgana 'so am I right in thinking that this choice I'm going to make was the one where I gave Arthur back his crown?'

Helena nodded 'if you had chosen to kill Arthur, Merlin, Lancelot, Gawain and Elyan then Morgause and Lancelot would never of met, Merlin would never of fallen in love with you again and Arthur would never of found out about his family plus he would probably be dead'

Morgause frowned slightly 'so no one would every of found out about Nimueh would've they?'

Helena nodded 'she would have continued to control you until the time was right for her to do…whatever she was planning to do'

'Would we ever of met you?' asked Merlin

Helena shrugged 'I couldn't say Merlin' she looked at Morgana suddenly 'what is it?'

Morgana was frowning at Gwen and Arthur. Following her eyes everyone saw that Gwen and Arthur where staring into space oddly blank expressions on their faces and their eyes where glazed slightly 'oh, I thought it would better if they didn't here the part about the love triangle part of the prophecy'

The moment she finished talking Arthur and Gwen blinked 'wow, that's a pretty heavy prophecy' said Arthur his speech slightly slurred.

'Yeah…what's that part about that power that the three of you have mean?' asked Gwen frowning slightly. Everyone turned to look at Helena but she didn't reply, she was frowning slightly staring at the floor.

There was a long pause while everyone waited until Morgause said tentatively 'Helena?'

Helena seemed to shake herself 'hmm? Oh sorry I was just thinking…um the power… I think it means that you three have a power that is greater than anyone else's a power that none of you are aware of that is equal only to each others… and which together could create a force never seen before.'

Arthur stood up 'when do you think we should move?'

Helena hesitated 'I suppose that's up to you, when ever we decide to fight Nimueh will be ready, she's probably watching us right now'

Everyone looked at Arthur waiting for his say so. Arthur hesitated took a deep breath, drew himself up and said firmly 'we will fight…' he hesitated again 'tomorrow, noon'

* * *

Far away in a secluded cave in the mountains Nimueh straightened up over her deep basin in which Arthur's face stared up out at the cave roof. Nimueh smirked then turned her head to look at the small dark haired boy standing beside her. Mordred looked up at her their blue eyes locking and said 'so Helena's told them of the prophecy'

Nimueh smiled 'yes, I'm surprised she hasn't seen more of our plan'

Mordred frowned slightly 'she is a bit of a problem though'

Nimueh smiled 'don't worry about Helena, I have…well she won't be a problem soon'

Mordred smiled 'and without her the others will be no trouble'

Nimueh shuddered despite herself as she looked back down into the basin, it was odd how Mordred's innocent face could look so evil when he smiled, and stared in surprise; the face of Helena was looking back out at her.

* * *

_The sounds of battle raged in Morgana's mind. The shifting, moving figures slowly focused until Morgana could see the scene however, it took her a moment to gather what was going on; there where three people fighting what seemed to be an endless number of soldiers and by the look of it they where going badly. It was only when one of them, a blond with long curly hair, blasted one of the soldiers to dust when she touched it did Morgana realise exactly which battle she must be watching. _

_The scene changed suddenly and Morgana found herself flying the across a forest, over fields and plains, and though the mountains. Her vision zoomed in on a small cluster of ruins nestled among the mountains, to a cave just off its border. There was a woman standing next to a stone basin that looked remarkably like a birdbath. Morgana recognised Nimueh as she turned to look down at a young boy who was sitting on a rock. Morgana heard Nimueh's voice say 'they have power Mordred, the prophecy has already begun…'_

'_We must act now!' hissed Mordred 'before they realise their true potential! What if they realise how to access their powers by the time they fight? Our armies won't stand a chance the only reason we created too few is because they will be able to complete their purpose…but if even one of them has accessed their powers then we are in trouble'_

_Nimueh snarled 'don't think that I am powerless Mordred, I have more power than I ever have before'_

_Mordred waved this aside 'I am not concerned about your level of power Nimueh, simply their powers'_

_Once again the scene changed and to Morgana's horror she saw Nimueh standing on a hill, her arms spread wide, her head tilted back. A sort of black cloud seemed to surround her and lightning seemed to flash from her fingertips. And her laughter, which filled the sky, was frankly terrifying. _

_The next scenes Morgana saw seemed to come in flashes._

_Morgause was staring in horror at something Morgana couldn't see, blood covered one side of her face, her eyes where wide and her mouth was open in a silent scream._

_Merlin was standing, clutching his side, his face bruised and a line of blood falling from the corner of his mouth. He wore a pained expression and he looked exhausted._

_Arthur was half-crouching on the ground, the front of his chest entirely covered in blood. He looked shocked and scared._

_And then Morgana saw a face that she didn't recognise. It belonged to the face of a very young girl. A pale, finely carved, sensitive face dominated by big green orbs strongly flecked with blue. Long, chocolate brown hair framed her face in long curly locks. The girl's small mouth was parted slightly in shock or fear and her eyes where wide in an expression of terror. The sound that escaped from the girl's mouth was something like a whimper. It was the way the girl was looking over Morgana's shoulder, the way her eyes where staring that made Morgana turn. The scream that came from Morgana's mouth was echoed by the girl behind her._

Morgana screamed and sat bolt upright. Her eyes flew open as the blankets slipped from her shoulders. Morgana felt arms wrap around her, heard someone shouting her name and clung to them. After a while Morgana became aware that it was Merlin's arms around her and that she was safe and sound in bed. Shuddering she leaned into Merlin as he whispered gently 'its all right Morgana, nothing is going to hurt you…what did you see?'

Morgana shivered slightly not wanting to repeat it. After a moment she stretched out her hand and touched Merlin on the forehead. Merlin stiffened slightly as the images flooded his mind and when Morgana with drew her hand he said 'those people fighting…they where us weren't they?'

Morgana nodded 'and I don't think we where winning'

Merlin frowned slightly 'who was that girl?' he sounded puzzled

Morgana looked up at him 'I don't know…why?'

Merlin continued to frown slightly 'she just looked…familiar' Merlin looked down at Morgana and tightened his arms around her 'don't worry about the fight Morgana, its not like you saw us all dying…we still have a chance'. He knew better than to say that it was probably just a dream.

Morgana swallowed and whispered 'but I saw all of you, Morgause, Arthur and you and you all looked…'

'Morgana, shh... Its going to be fine' but, even to Merlin, his words sounded false. They all knew that they probably wouldn't survive this battle and there was no point in saying otherwise.

* * *

Gwen was helping Arthur into his armor unconsciously trying to drag out the last few minutes they had together before Arthur had to leave. It was morning and almost time to march to what could very well be their last battle. Gwen finished tying the clasp behind Arthur's neck and turned him around 'there. All done' her voice sounded falsely cheery.

Arthur put a finger under her chin and lifted it up to look her in the eyes 'Gwen, don't worry about me'

Gwen looked into Arthur's sky-blue eyes 'I do worry about you Arthur, this isn't a battle against an ordinary army, this army is directly linked to one of the most dangerous sorceresses of all time' she heard the sob in her own voice as she continued 'I don't want to lose you'

Arthur folded his arms around Gwen and hugged her, not to tightly for fear of crushing her, and kissed her gently on the forehead 'I'll be careful Gwen, I promise. I love you'.

'I love you too' Gwen heard the sob in her own voice. They stood there in silence after that, knowing that it was a moment stolen that they where sharing.

* * *

**_ok so i know that scene between the King and Queen was short but i hope you liked it_**

**_who do you think is the child in Morgana's dream? it can be anyone! _**

**_keep guessing about who she is talking to and take my hint!_**

**_the next chapter will be up soon!  
_**


	10. The Battle

_hey everyone i am re updating this chapter because of the confusion between the farewells and the continuation of the battle regarding what happened to Helena. I realised that there was meant to be a line between those parts so that you could see that there was a break! so here is the reprint :)_

**_ok here is the next chapter. once again i am sorry it took longer than expected there were as usual dramas but i wont go into them._**

**_in this chapter the family and friends confront Nimueh's army. this chapter in focused mainly on the battle but there is also a part dedicated to when everyone has to say good bye :)_**

**_oh and to Elin Marc who asked about the extent of Merlin's power we see him doing some pretty advanced magic in this chapter :) thanks to all of you who are still reading and reviewing this; it really motivates me! :D  
_**

**_anyway please read, enjoy and review  
_**

* * *

_**Chapter 9 ~ The Battle**_

Arthur ducked under a sword, simultaneously thrusting his own into the things chest. Withdrawing it sharply he twirled and lobbed another's head off. He found himself suddenly back to back with Lancelot. 'Why are there so many? Helena said that there where only around a hundred and fifty of these things but it looks like there are way more'

'They're illusions' said Morgause as she came spinning past cleaving the heads off several opponents.

'Illusions?' asked Lancelot blocking a sword aimed at his hip.

'It means that there are far few of them then there appear, Nimueh must have created the illusion' replied Morgause spinning in the other direction and stopping by Morgana's side in time to block a sword aimed at her sister's head.

'What's the point of that?' asked Arthur slaying another zombie with a flick of his wrist

'The idea' Morgana slashed a zombie across its chest, sending it spinning back into the surging crowd 'is to distract us, we won't know for certain which are the real ones'

Helena appeared, Merlin next to her and said 'Arthur you are the Once and Future King, Nimueh would consider it a great bonus if you were killed'

Merlin smirked at Arthur's surprised expression 'just don't go doing anything heroic Arthur, that usually gets you into trouble'

After Arthur's retort they fought in grim silence, each of them wanting it to end yet, they were dreading the time when Arthur and Lancelot would have to leave. Neither Arthur nor Lancelot wanted to leave, though they knew that when the adrenalin left their bodies they would probably both collapse. They had only been fighting for another fifteen minuets when suddenly the surge of zombies vanished exposing the numerous carcasses that littered the ground.

Arthur slowed and stopped 'where is the other army?' he half expected them to appear right in front of him.

Helena, who was calmly wiping her sword on the ground pointed with her free arm. The companions turned; situated about ten metres away, standing completely still watching them, was Nimueh's inner army. Lancelot shuddered slightly. There was something about the way they were standing there just watching them, the way he could see that each and every one of them was a corpse that freaked Lancelot out. 'Will they attack us straight away or do we have time to say -' Lancelot's voice caught as he was saying the word 'goodbye'.

Helena shook her head 'Nimueh likes to see people in grief or pain; she will want to watch us say good-bye. I think we should take that opportunity'. Her voice quavered slightly as she spoke.

As she said that it suddenly hit them all that this was it they where saying goodbye for what could very well be the last time. Arthur walked over to Morgana and hugged her tightly, Morgana hugging him back. When Arthur squeezed her so tightly that she began to find it hard to breath Morgana drew back and said 'Arthur don't worry, I have always been a better sword fighter than you and I am pretty good at magic'

This age old banter did not make Arthur smile, instead he said 'just be careful Morgana, please. I don't want to lose you again'.

Morgana nodded, not trusting herself to speak and hugged him tightly before he drew away. Arthur turned to Merlin and grasped hands with him. 'Take care of yourself Merlin'.

Merlin tried to smirk but it just came out as a rather comical grimace 'oh Arthur you actually sound like you care'

Arthur grinned 'of course I don't, it's just that if you die I will be forced to find another man servant' his smile faltered and he suddenly gave Merlin an awkward half pat on the back half hug and drew away quickly 'in all seriousness though do be careful' he said gruffly

Merlin nodded a rather surprised expression on his face 'I will. Take care of Gwen'

Arthur nodded then moved on to Morgause, who had just finished hugging Helena. They looked at each other for what seemed like a full minute before Arthur moved forward and hugged her tightly. They remained like that for a moment before Morgause drew away slightly to look up into his blue eyes 'you've changed Arthur'. Over her shoulder Arthur watched the unmoving zombies and felt angered that every eye was a portal to Nimueh's mind; that she was able to watch this moment between them all. Above the family dark, sinister clouds rumbled and flashes of lightning among the top most of them was just visible. The sky seemed to reflet the feeling of oncoming terror in their hearts.

Arthur smiled 'I think I'm beginning to do what the prophecy said I would'

In all truth he felt like he had known Morgause all his life, in fact he had this memory from when he was younger that Helena had helped him to find.

_He was nestled comfortably in someone's gentle, yet secure arms. Looking up he could see the soft gentle face of his mother looking down at him smiling. Then another face appeared beside Igraine. That very young Morgause had resembled her older self; a small curious face dominated by the same big soft brown eyes framed by the same golden locks. Arthur had noticed, when he had first seen this memory that those eyes had not held the burden of responsibility and the look of someone who had had to fend for themselves at a young age. They had an innocent curious look in them. Arthur heard his mother ask Morgause if she wanted to hold him and then he was nestled in smaller, gentle, slightly less secure arms. Morgause's young, innocent face looked down at him, her long golden locks tickling his face. He reached up a chubby fist and gripped Morgause's pinkie tightly and Morgause laughed and Arthur heard Igraine say 'he likes you'. _

Helena had later told him that that was only about a day or two before Igraine had fallen ill. Only about a week before Morgause would never be that innocent, happy child again.

Now as he smiled at a much older, much less innocent Morgause he felt sad that they had found each other after all that time only to be parted again. 'You know its odd to think that, probably no more than a month ago, we hated each other' said Arthur

Morgause smiled sadly and said 'I cant believe that I wasted all that time hating you. Its cruel that you could lose everyone who cares about you in this one fight'

Arthur suddenly realised that despite her outward appearance Morgause was scared. Hugging her close he said 'I believe that you can win this fight Morgause, don't forget that' withdrawing from her he smiled down at her then turned away.

Morgause suddenly found herself face to face with Lancelot. Unconsciously they had left their goodbyes to last, dreading the moment when they would have to say farewell. Lancelot stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her rested his chin on her head, which she lowered to his shoulder. Neither of them said anything, for what could you say to the person you loved with all your heart when you might never see them again? After what seemed like only a few seconds but what was in fact a few minutes Morgause lifted her head and kissed Lancelot passionately. When they drew apart they rested their foreheads together, neither of them aware of the tears silently coursing down their cheeks and Lancelot whispered 'I love you' his voice cracked and he wished with all his heart that Nimueh had left them alone, that she had left everyone alone.

Morgause looked up into his eyes and whispered back 'I love you too, I always will'. After a minute or two they drew away from each other, Lancelot placed a hand on her smooth cheek, wiping away some of her tears then turned away. Walking away from her, down to where Arthur and his surviving knights where waiting, was the hardest thing Lancelot had ever done in his entire life. He literately had to force himself to place one foot in front of the other until he reached the horses tied near by. Swinging himself up and turning the horse to face the direction of Camelot Lancelot didn't look back, knowing that if he did he wouldn't be able to go; he wouldn't be able to leave her.

Morgause turned away from the sight of Lancelot riding away and stood facing Nimueh's army. Morgana moved to stand beside her and linked hands with her. Morgana had only just realised just how hard this was for Morgause. At least Morgana was with Merlin and didn't have to face him leaving. Morgause had always been stronger than Morgana, and Morgana didn't blame Morgause for crying silently.

There was a silence as they all waited, Merlin next to Morgana, Morgana next to Morgause and Morgause next to Helena. They where waiting, they realised for the zombies to move and when they finally did taking slow steps forward in a odd shuffling walk Morgause suddenly felt a hate of the kind she had never felt before. She hated Nimueh, she hated Mordred and she hated these zombies. She hated them all because of what they where putting her and her family though, for the fact that though they had all just found each other they might never see each other again. So as they moved forward to meet the oncoming surge she realised she wanted it to begin, she wanted this fight to end.

* * *

Merlin threw a transparent shield in front of Morgana in time to deflect the fireball sent from one of the zombies in the crowd. As Merlin ran towards her the fireball bounced back into the crowd killing the very zombie that cast it. When he reached her he grabbed her shoulders and made the shield wrap around them, locking them in a transparent bubble. 'Morgana!' he shook her.

Morgana looked up at him, tears pouring down her face 'sorry, I didn't see it coming' she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand causing her face to become streaked with mud.

Merlin swallowed his own tears and wrapped his arms around her, trying to hold her together 'Morgana, its not your fault that Helena has gone…none of us could have done anything'

Morgana pushed him away roughly and shook her head 'you don't understand. Do you remember when I had that dream and I saw us fighting? Helena wasn't there! I should have warned her or something' she sounded slightly hysterical.

Merlin shook his head and said firmly yet desperately 'you can't blame your self for what happened Morgana, it's not your fault'

At this point Morgause ducked behind the shield and shouted 'guys a bit of help would be appreciated!' as she spoke she crouched and slammed her palm into the ground her eyes glowing gold. At first nothing happened until the ground around a dozen zombies began to bubble and shift and suddenly burst upwards, it curled around the zombies legs moving quickly to cover their torsos, chest and neck until finally there where twelve rock statues standing in different positions.

Merlin and Morgana moved quickly to join her and Merlin shouted 'how many times can you do that?' Merlin threw a fireball towards a group of on coming zombies, several seconds before it reached them his eyes glowed golden and the fireball expanded and exploded setting about a dozen zombies alight, they then crumbled to dust.

'Not many!' shouted Morgause spinning to touch a zombie on its chest with her finger spread wide. The zombie exploded into dust.

Merlin shouted a spell and what looked like tree roots shot out of the ground entwining themselves around several zombies and dragging them back into the ground. Morgana trust her hand in front of her, sending an invisible force towards the zombies sending them crashing backwards into each other 'none of our spells are as affective as they should be! We need to rest!' shouted Morgana. Although they where killing several zombies at a time they where all tiring fast; none of them had ever fought a magical battle before, none of them had even fought with magic for this long. They where exhausted and Nimueh was not.

Merlin and Morgause shouted an incantation and an invisible shield expanded from their hands and joined in mid air forming a bubble around them. 'This wont hold them for long' said Merlin 'Nimueh will get though'

Morgana nodded and said 'do you remember that dream I had where Mordred and Nimueh where talking about this power we have?'

Morgause and Merlin nodded 'what ever you're going to say hurry' said Morgause urgently watching as cracks appeared in the shield.

Morgana said quickly 'well they said that if even one of us had accessed our power this army wouldn't stand a chance!'

'Yeah that's great except that we don't know how to access that power!' said Merlin

Morgana took a deep breath and said 'what if the trigger is-'

The shield cracked, and several things happened at once. A second after the shield was destroyed Merlin felt something hit him hard in the chest and a sickening pain expanded though his chest and he blacked out. Morgause, who had been standing closest to where the shield split flew backwards though the air, hitting her head hard on a bolder that one of the zombie's had thrown. As the world exploded into bright lights and stars before her eyes the last thing Morgause heard before everything went dark was Morgana screaming.

* * *

**_so do you like?_**

**_i tried as hard as possible to make the farewell heart breaking but i dont know if it worked._**

**_by the way did you all catch on to what happened to Helena? the three magicians think that she is dead_**

**_this cliff hanger wont last long because i will update soon!_**

**_please review and any ideas or suggestions are welcomed :)_**

for those of you who still want to know exactly what happened to Helena you will find out in the next chapter :)**_  
_**


	11. Lost

**_ok here is the continuation of the cliff hanger (even though it wasnt much of a cliff hanger :) )_**

**_ok in this chapter we find out exactly what happened to Helena :)_**

**_please enjoy_**

* * *

****_**Chapter 10 ~ Lost **_

A small robin red breast flew down from the sky and landed on something. If it had been even a day or two older it would have known that the thing was a human. All it saw, however, where the strands of gold much like the stuff that coated his nest. Lowering its beak it grasped some of the stuff that had fallen across the things face and tugged hard. Instantly two eyes below him (the robin was sitting on the creatures forehead) opened. For a second the robin and the human stared at each other until the robin squeaked with fright and took of into the sky with a flurry of small wings.

Morgause watched the robin fly high into the bright blue sky with some puzzlement. Why was she outside? Morgause sat up and instantly regretted it as the whole world spun sickeningly before her eyes. Putting a hand to her head she realised why; there was a spectacular lump rising on the back of her head. And suddenly everything came rushing back causing Morgause to gasp _Nimueh's army! _Opening her eyes she was thankful to see that the world had stopped moving but then she frowned and gasped in astonishment. The land was completely bare. There was no churned earth; no rock statues no sign what so ever that a magical battle had taken place the night before. Well almost. Lying not far away from her, sprawled on his back was Merlin. Morgause pulled herself up onto her hand and knees and crawled towards him. When she reached him she shook him 'Merlin! Wake up!' He couldn't be dead, he just couldn't.

Pressing her fingers to Merlin's neck she felt the distinct beat of his pulse. Sighing with relief she snapped her fingers causing a cascade of water to splash down onto Merlin's sleeping face. He opened his eyes instantly and said, a clear look of indignation on his face 'Morgause! That's hardly the way to wake someone up' he winced slightly rubbing his chest, he thought that a couple of ribs might be broken; he was certainly going to bruise anyway.

Morgause smiled slightly then said in a rather puzzled voice 'you should be dead Merlin'

Merlin sighed 'trust me this isn't the first time I should be dead' seeing her expression he elaborated 'its something to do with being the greatest warlock that ever lived' he looked around then frowned 'Morgause, where is Morgana?'

Morgause looked around in alarm 'I don't know, I haven't seen her' she had been so preoccupied with checking that Merlin was alive that she hadn't noticed her sisters absence. Merlin began to call Morgana's name and Morgause closed her eyes, trying to focus on her connection with her sister. 'Merlin' she called softly after a minute.

Merlin stopped calling franticly for his love and looked at her a desperate expression on his face 'she's not…' he couldn't bare to continue

Morgause shook her head 'she's alive…but I don't know where she is…she must be pretty far away'

There was a silence then Merlin tried to struggle to his feet, standing shakily he said 'well let's go find her'

Morgause grabbed his hand and used it to pull her self up 'Merlin don't be a fool, neither of us are in any shape to go looking for her, we need to get back to Camelot and rest, you especially'

Merlin sighed 'fine but…' he frowned in concern looking into her eyes noticing that her pupils were unfocussed 'are you really in any state to get us back? You look like you've got bad concussion'

Morgause put his arm around her shoulders and supported him 'I'm fine, its you who needs to get back quickly' and with that they both vanished.

* * *

Lancelot, Arthur and Gwen were in Arthur and Gwen's room. Lancelot was standing at the window staring out at the courtyard; Gwen was sitting on the bed watching as Arthur paced up and down anxiously. He had been doing that since he and Lancelot had returned and it was getting on the other two's nerves. 'Arthur! We understand how your feeling right now but can you please stop!' snapped Lancelot.

'Sorry' said Arthur sitting down in a chair. To the others annoyance he began to tap the arm with his fingers in agitation. 'Do you think we should send out a search party?' he asked Lancelot anxiously.

His friend sighed and shook his head 'no, we don't know that the fight isn't still going'.

Arthur was about to reply when suddenly Morgause and Merlin appeared in mid air. For a moment they remained suspended above the ground before both suddenly crashed to onto the table. Morgause released Merlin and tumbled off the side of the table to the floor while Merlin managed to grip the edge to stop himself falling. Both sat up, Morgause blinking, her hand to her head wondering when the room was going to come into focus, Merlin ruefully rubbing his sore chest. For a moment no one moved then Lancelot sprinted across the room, picked Morgause up and hugged her to his chest, spinning her around and shouting with glee 'you made it!'

Morgause laughed weakly 'yeah…do you think you could stop?' she murmured

Lancelot stopped immediately and looked into her eyes 'are you all right? I've never seen you appear like that'

Merlin who had just been embraced tightly by Gwen and clapped rather hard on the back by Arthur winced and said 'I told you that you weren't in a fit state to teleport, I have learnt some things from Gaius you know' when Lancelot looked at him he said 'I'm pretty sure that she has severe concussion'

'Mmm… I meant to appear in Gaius's room…must of over shot it' muttered Morgause swaying slightly. Lancelot led her over to a chair and sat her down firmly 'mmm alright' she murmured.

Arthur looked around smiling 'where's Morgana and Helena?' his smile fell as he looked from Morgause's face to Merlin's and saw the expressions on them 'their not…'

Merlin shook his head 'Morgana was taken by those things for some reason, Morgause thinks she's pretty far away from here, probably with Nimueh' he tried to keep his voice calm but it wobbled slightly.

Arthur looked from one to the other then said quietly 'and Helena?'

Morgause looked up at him with slightly unfocussed eyes 'when the battle started those things went straight for her… Nimueh knew that she was the most experienced…the last time I saw those things were carrying her off…there was nothing we could do' she could hear the pleading note in her own voice.

Arthur sat down heavily and said 'of course it wasn't your fault…I don't think any of us where expecting that' he glanced at Merlin and murmured 'its not your fault either Merlin, not about Morgana either'

There was a long silence broken by Gwen saying desperately 'there is still a chance that Helena survived' they all looked up at her and she continued 'think about it, Helena is a really skilled sorceress, if they where carrying her off she could have placed a spell on her self to turn her invisible or something'

'Its possible' said Merlin slowly 'but then why didn't she revel herself when we where looking?' he asked.

Gwen hesitated 'maybe she was hurt. But its worth a try'

Arthur stood up and nodded 'your right Gwen, I'll organise a search party'

Lancelot moved forward 'I'll help you' Arthur nodded and both moved towards the door 'I'll tell Gaius to come up' said Lancelot. Then he and Arthur exited.

Gwen looked from Morgause to Merlin and said slowly 'why weren't you two taken?'

Merlin hesitated 'remember what Helena said? Those zombies could only see people that could cause them harm…Morgause and I where unconscious' he turned to Morgause and asked 'was Morgana?'

Morgause shook her head 'I heard Morgana scream before I passed out' she moved one hand to the lump on her head and whispered a spell and sighed with relief as she felt the bump sink back into her skull and as her vision cleared. She gave her head a shake to clear it then looked at her two friends 'it looks like we were wrong about the fact that Nimueh wanted to kill us…she wanted us captured…why?'

Merlin's eyes suddenly widened 'Nimueh would know about The Prophecy…and her ultimate goal is to become the most powerful person who ever lived… what if she wanted to drain this power the three of us are meant to have?'

There was a silence then Morgause said 'that's impossible. Its not possible for someone to drain someone else's powers, their energy yes but not their power' but she sounded uncertain, what if it Nimueh had found some way of doing just that?

Merlin seemed to have guessed what she as thinking for he said 'we have to find Morgana' both Morgause and Gwen grabbed his arms and forced him to sit down.

At this point Gaius walked in and raised his eyebrow at the three of them struggling. He walked over and poked Merlin in the chest. Merlin let out a squeak and sat down heavily 'Gaius!'

Gaius shook his head 'the things you get into Merlin' he began to feel Merlin's chest gently prodding it and running his hands down his ribs. He even muttered a spell, which sounded odd to Merlin hearing his mentor say magic, but the spell seemed to have no effect. Finally he sighed 'as far as I can see there isn't any internal bleeding and you haven't broken anything…it looks like you just have sever bruising'

'_Just! _Gaius this means that I wont be able to go look for Morgana!' said Merlin desperately.

Gaius shook his as he moved behind Morgause examining the back of her head critically 'your no use to Morgana unless you're fully healed' he removed his fingers from the back of Morgause's head and walked around to face them both 'I admit Morgause you seem to be quite advanced with healing spells but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't rest as well'

Merlin frowned as Morgause looked defeated 'I don't understand how that works'

Morgause looked over at him 'when you heal yourself you are only healing the physical evidence but there is still…your body basically needs to catch up with the process. Its like if you break a rib and heal it your body still needs to go though its own process normally even if the physical evidence is gone. The only way to stop your body from doing that and to bring it up to its full strength is either to rest (depending on how sever the injury) or to transmit some energy from some where else to your self…which is very risky'

Gaius produced two small bottles from his bag and handed one to each of them 'which is why you two need all the rest you can get. These are two of the potions I used to give to Morgana…they will definitely work on you Merlin...' he glanced at Morgause in question

Morgause nodded 'they should work on me, the only reason they didn't work on Morgana was because she didn't know how to control her Seer powers and still doesn't fully… it breaks though when she is stressed or worried' she smiled slightly 'I was taught how to control those powers since the moment I started to show them…this should work on me'

Gaius nodded 'good I want you both to drink all of it…that should put you out for several hours' he packed up his things and went to the door where he stopped and looked back 'don't worry about Morgana for now, there is nothing you can do at the moment'

When he was gone Gwen turned to her friends and frowned 'you know I always thought that magic was a very simple thing…but its sounds pretty complicated'

Morgause and Merlin both drank their potions and Morgause said 'trust me Gwen magic is anything but simple'

Before Gwen could say anything Morgause's head suddenly jerked like she'd received a blow to the head; her eyes unfocused then closed and she relaxed into the chair, her head resting on Merlin's shoulder. Merlin looked at Gwen, who thought he looked rather drunk, and then went limp in the chair, his head lolling back into the high backed chair. Gwen smiled slightly then walked over to the cupboard and pulled two blankets out she then walked back to her sleeping friends and tucked one over each of them pulling it up to their chins in a rather motherly way. Just then Gaius opened the door again and whispered 'they're both out?'

Gwen nodded 'see for yourself'

Gaius smiled at the pair then said 'I gave Morgause a slightly stronger draft'

Gwen looked surprised 'why?'

Gaius smiled at her 'from my past experiences Seers are usually able to fight off the effects of a sleeping draft, especially when they're stressed'

* * *

_Morgause was back on the battlefield, back facing that army. Yet she was detached, not part of the actual fight. She saw herself, Merlin, Morgana and Helena fighting with magic; this was before Helena had died yet after Arthur, Lancelot and the knights had left. She watched as Helena blasted one of the zombies to dust when it touched her. She desperately struggled with the effects of the sleeping potion Gaius had given her; she didn't want to see Helena being taken again. But it was no use; she felt like she was trapped under a thick blanket that had some how managed to coat her brain as well. Very faintly, on the edges of her consciousness Morgause was aware of the sounds of people yelling from somewhere._

_Morgause watched, helpless, as she had been last time, as the zombies pressed forward in a great surge of dead, stinking corpses. She watched as they slowly cut Helena off from Morgana, Merlin and Morgause. She watched as the three of them realised what was happening just as the zombies struck. Helena's beautiful face looked surprised as the several dozen zombies all launched themselves at her at once, there eyes the same colour as Nimueh's. Morgause heard the screams of Morgana, Merlin and herself as Helena fought them off before going down under the sheer weight of numbers. She heard their screams turn into strangled sobs, as Helena didn't emerge._

'Helena!' cried Morgause, hearing the strangled sob in her own voice. Struggling desperately she managed to fight of the drowsiness that coated her brain and open her eyes. It turned out that there was a blanket covering her though it wasn't as thick as she had thought. Struggling to sit up Morgause rubbed her eyes, slightly surprised to find that there were tears on her cheeks. Glancing over at the window she saw to some astonishment that it was already dark. When she looked around, blinking the last tears away, she was surprised to see Merlin asleep in the chair beside her. Morgause reached over and shook him slightly and he immediately opened his eyes and gave her a slightly drowsy smile 'I feel much better, you?'

Morgause stood up and walked to the window nodding. Merlin frowned at her 'what woke you up?'

'I think there was a commotion out in the court yard' replied Morgause searching the dark courtyard with her eyes.

At that moment there was a pounding of feet coming along the corridor and as Merlin stood up and Morgause turned towards it the door was flung open. In the door way stood an out of breath Lancelot. Merlin and Morgause rushed towards him stopping, however, when they saw that his hands and shirt were covered in blood. Morgause's eyes widened in horror as she moved towards him but he shook his head 'its…not…mine' he was gasping as he spoke and there was something about his wide eyes that sent a chill down the in-laws spins.

Morgause grabbed his shoulders and said urgently 'what do you mean its not yours, who's is it?'

Lancelot swallowed and gasped out 'we found…'

Merlin moved quickly forwards his heart beating quickly 'who Lancelot? Who have you found?'

Lancelot took a deep shuddering breath and whispered, the fear evident in his voice 'we found Helena'

Slowly Morgause and Merlin looked down at the blood on his shirt and hands.

**_ok so what do you think ? :)  
_**

**_please review! i will have the next chapter up soon!_**


	12. and Found

_**hey everyone! i am so so sorry for the massive gap between updates! please please forgive me!**_

_**just to recap; the three M's pluse Helena battled Nimueh's forces and Helena appeared to die. Afterwards Merlin and Morgause discovered that Morgana had been taken by Nimueh's forces and were forced to return to Camelot without them. Arthur went out to search with Lancelot for Helena after Gwen suggested that she could still be alive. Later Morgause and Merlin were talking when Lancelot burst in saying that they had found Helena and his shirt and hands were covered in blood.**_

_**ok here is the next chapter and i really hope you enjoy it!**_

* * *

_**Chapter 11 ~ and Found **_

Merlin, Morgause and Lancelot speed down the hall towards Gaius's chambers. None of them spoke but each had identical expressions of fear and trepidation on their faces. Finally they reached Gaius's chambers and burst into the room. Morgause looked around and took in the scene; Arthur was standing over near Gaius's great collection of books, an expression of horror on his face. Helena was lying on the nursing bed blocked from their line of view by Gaius and Gwen was sitting on one of several chairs sitting completely straight, her eyes wide. Arthur looked up when they entered and immediately moved forward towards them. He stopped in front of Morgause as Merlin and Lancelot moved towards Gaius and stared into her eyes. Morgause swallowed as she recognised the despairing look that Arthur got when he felt useless because there was nothing he could do. Arthur hugged his half-sister tightly, their almost identical golden hair mingling. He knew that Helena meant as much to Morgause as she did to him and Morgana; it was thanks to Helena that Morgause was here at all, thanks to Helena that they were even alive. After a moment Morgause drew away and moved towards Gaius only to find Arthur blocking her way. Looking down at Morgause Arthur shook his head ever so slightly. Morgause frowned up at him and said angrily 'Arthur I have seen this kind of thing before'

Arthur shook his head resolutely 'that doesn't mean that you have to see it and trust me when I say that you don't want to'

Morgause swallowed slightly at the conviction in his voice then walked over and sat down on a bench. Looking up at Arthur who had been joined by Merlin and Lancelot, the later of which sat down beside her, she said 'so what happened?'

'We didn't see her at first; we started by calling her name and after a while she appeared basically in front of us' Arthur shuddered slightly 'it came as something of a shock'

'What I don't get is why we didn't see her' said Merlin who seemed to be trying to distract himself.

As Arthur started to shrug Morgause closed her eyes; she didn't need to be looking with her eyes to actually see something. She recoiled in horror when she saw what she was looking for and opening her eyes she turned to Lancelot and flung her arms around him burying her face in his broad shoulder. Lancelot gently rubbed her back soothingly just as Gaius stood up and moved towards them all. He looked tired and Merlin wondered just how long Helena had been back before they'd been told. Arthur turned to Gaius and said 'well?' he sounded so much like a helpless child that Gwen got up and moved to take his hand.

Gaius sighed 'Well… she has lost a lot of blood Arthur, I don't know exactly how much though at least none of the main arteries have been cut. There is a long wound down her side and what ever inflicted it also broke several of her ribs… in short she is in a pretty severe condition… I've done all I can. It's up to her now'.

Morgause swallowed and said 'why do you think we couldn't find her?'

Gaius hesitated 'I did a few tests and it seems that when they carried her off they injured her in the process because they needed to contain her. When that happened they accidentally dropped her and she turned her self-invisible before she blacked out. Naturally they couldn't see her so they went back to the fight'

Morgause's eyes went wide 'she's been losing blood for that long?'

'Not necessarily she could have placed another spell on her self that I cant pick up which is entirely possible' though Gaius was obviously trying to reassure them all he sounded more like he was trying to convince himself.

There was a long silence 'what do we do now?' asked Gwen looking from one to the other.

'Nothing'

Everyone turned to look at Arthur in surprise and Merlin said 'what about Morgana?'

'Merlin, look we can't do anything about Morgana until we're all fit enough to or until we have some idea of where she is. We should at least wait until we can talk to Helena. And I don't know about you but I know that I am in no state to go looking for her yet' Arthur sounded like he was reserving himself 'Morgana wouldn't want us to go gallivanting off to look for her unless we had some knowledge of where to look' he finished.

'But by that time it could be too late, Nimueh could be hurting her' hissed Merlin.

'I don't think she is' said Morgause slowly 'think about it if Nimueh wanted this power we all have then she would probably want to wait until we are all there. She wanted to capture us all and failed. She knows that Merlin and I will come after her… and she knows that Morgana and I have a connection and that I would know if Morgana died'

'Arthur has a point Merlin, we should all get some sleep; we can go looking for Morgana when Helena wakes up or when we have some idea of where she is' said Lancelot firmly.

Merlin looked from one to the other then sank down into a chair nodding his head 'fine'

The atmosphere in the room relaxed noticeably and everyone settled done to what they all knew would be an uneasy sleep.

* * *

When Morgause opened her eyes the first thing she saw was Arthur standing over by Helena's bed and looking down at her with a rather blank expression. Detaching herself from Lancelot's strong yet relaxed arms Morgause stood and walked over to Arthur who put an arm around her. Both stared down at Helena's pale sleeping face for a moment then Morgause said 'you know when Lancelot burst in and said that you had found someone I thought it would be Morgana'

Arthur nodded 'when Lancelot yelled that he had found someone I thought it would be Morgana as well. I never considered it would be Helena even though we were looking for her because I never really thought she could get hurt'

Both of them turned as they heard Merlin stir murmuring what sounded like Morgana's name. 'What do you think he's dreaming about?' asked Morgause curiously.

'Probably Morgana's location' said a voice.

Arthur and Morgause spun, still linked to face Helena who was propped up on her elbows looking at them though rather blurry eyes. 'Helena!' shouted Arthur. He heard Lancelot, Gwen and Merlin all wake up at the sound of his shout and stumble towards them. Morgause had already detached her self from under Arthur's arm and flung herself on her aunt by the time the other three managed to get to them.

Helena winced slightly and Morgause hastily loosened her grip. Morgause stood up again and grinned down at Helena 'we thought…'

'What? That some dead people could kill me?' asked Helena wryly sitting up and leaning back on her hands.

Arthur laughed, relieved and said 'no but Nimueh might have'

Helena considered this her head tilted slightly so that her golden brown hair, a strong auburn in the candlelight, cascaded down her shoulders 'yes I suppose Nimueh could kill me' she concluded smiling up at them. Her bright emerald green eyes searched their faces and after a moment she frowned slightly 'what's happened?'

'Apart from the fact that we almost lost you?' asked Arthur; surprised that Helena was catching on to their emotions so fast. When Helena raised a perfect slender eyebrow he sighed and whispered 'we lost Morgana'

Helena's expression changed and flicked though a series of emotions so fast that Arthur was only able to catch a few; shock, fear, grief and anger seemed to reappear on her face a lot before Helena seemed to calm her self enough to say 'you don't actually mean that she's dead do you? You mean that Nimueh took her'

They nodded and Merlin and Morgause quickly related to her what had happened after Helena was knocked out. Helena listened to their conclusions of why Nimueh would want them captured intently then nodded 'that sounds like Nimueh; and if anyone could find a way to drain power it would be her. By the way I'm sorry about this' she gestured to her ribs where they could just see the shape of bandages though her dress 'I was taken completely be surprise, which was stupid of me'

When they had all assured her that it wasn't her fault Merlin said hesitantly 'so you don't think that Nimueh will hurt Morgana?'

Helena paused before saying 'I don't think so, she will probably use her as bait like Morgause suggested 'oh I had the weirdest dreams…' she muttered more to her self then to anyone else.

'Merlin are you alright?' asked Morgause drawing everyone's attention to the warlock.

Merlin was stand frozen to the spot his eyes wide with shock as he stared at Helena. After a second his mouth moved to form the word 'dreams…' his eyes focused and he looked at them all excitement rising in his voice as he repeated 'dreams!'

'Merlin are you feeling alright?' asked Arthur who appeared to be concerned with his adviser's sanity.

Merlin nodded franticly and said 'before we left to fight Morgana had another one of her dreams; there where a whole lot of scenes in it, she saw some of us and a girl she didn't know and Mordred and Nimueh talking. And before she saw them talking she saw the place they were hiding, from here to there. She showed me that vision!'

There was a silence then Morgause's eyes widened 'are you saying that you know where Morgana is in your head?' when Merlin nodded she stepped towards him and stretched out a hand to touch his forehead.

They all felt Morgause touch their mind before images blossomed in their minds; _across a forest, over fields and plains, and though the mountains. Their vision zoomed in on a small cluster of ruins nestled among the mountains, to a cave just off its border. _

_Everything went black for a second then they where seeing the same scene but Morgause had slowed it down. They recognised the forest as the one close to the city, the fields and plains Arthur recognised as a place where he had once fought. As they saw the mountains moving closer and closer Arthur saw a river snaking down and though the hills towards the forest. The mountains were unrecognisable to any of them._

They all gasped as Morgause cut off the vision and they opened their eyes. Morgause stepped back from Merlin and turned to Arthur, raising her eyebrows in question. Arthur frowned for a moment then walked over to Gaius's bookshelf pulling out a map of Camelot's territories and a bit of the surrounding kingdoms mounted on a frame. Walking back to them he laid the map on a table so that they could all see. His finger traced an invisible line from the city, following the route Morgause had showed them in his mind. He stopped at the base of the mountains near the river they had seen. Lifting his finger he bent forward to read the tiny writing under a drawing of a village. 'Here look: these mountains are The White Mountains; the village is right next to this river, which runs though the mountains. Its located South-East, though the wood that surrounds Camelot and across these fields and plains' He looked at them all 'the ruins aren't marked on the map… but we know that its near this village and surely some one from there must know where it is'

'Do you think we should start there?' asked Lancelot

Arthur glanced at Helena who was looking at the map with an oddly nervous expression then nodded 'we should start there agreed?'

Everyone nodded and Arthur said 'I'll talk to Gawain; we leave at dawn'

* * *

It was only several hours later, still well before dawn when Merlin quietly shut his bedroom door behind him. Moving forward silently he stopped when he reached Morgause and Lancelot's chambers, just down the hall from his and Morgana's, and listened intently. He had had a suspicion that Morgause probably had the same idea as him but there was no sound from inside; it seemed that Morgause was trying to get as much rest as possible.

Merlin smiled slightly and pulled up the hood of the dark cloak he was wearing and made his way quickly but silently towards Gaius's chambers. When he reached the door he carefully opened it trying to make as little noise as possible. He poked his head around the door and scanned the room. He could hear Gaius's snores from the corner where he was sleeping and a screen had been set up around where Helena was sleeping. Merlin sneaked over to the table where Arthur had left the map and looked down at it. Arthur had drawn a red line over the path towards the ruins and the path stopped at the small village on the border between kingdoms. Merlin pulled out a blank piece of parchment out of his cloak and muttered a spell, moving his hand over the paper, his eyes glowing. The map appeared on the parchment identical to the one on the table. Merlin smiled and rolled it up, stuffing it back into his cloak and turned around…to find himself face to face with Morgause.

Merlin opened his mouth and Morgause clapped a hand over it before he could cry out and whispered harshly 'Merlin it's just me!'

Merlin pulled her hand away and gasped 'don't do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack!'

Morgause smirked slightly 'it looks like we had the same idea'

Merlin nodded 'if your planning to sneak out and go ahead of the party to get to the village first and find Morgana then yes…what's your reason?'

Morgause turned serious 'Nimueh has my sister Merlin. I don't want Arthur and Lancelot and everyone else to risk death; Nimueh wants us alive…she doesn't care about them. What's yours?'

Merlin raised his eyebrows 'apart from the obvious; I have to protect Arthur and if I can stop Nimueh before they get to her then there is less risk that he could die. But if you think that I'm going to let you go then-'

He stopped at Morgause's expression then continued 'Lancelot and Arthur will kill me if anything happens to you and Morgana probably will as well'

Morgause raised her eyebrows 'you're the one who should be staying, your less experienced than I am and Morgana will probably kill me if anything happens to you' she forestalled his protest be saying 'and seeing as neither of us are going to say I suggest that we both go. And if you try and make me stay I will permanently seal your lips together'

Merlin shut his mouth firmly and Morgause smiled 'lets go then, there are only a few hours before dawn'

Together they made their way along the dark corridors, keeping to the shadows so that their dark cloaks blended with the background. It seemed almost too easy when they reached the stables without being stopped by guards. Morgause gestured to two horses at the back of the stables and Merlin followed her towards them. They were huge, muscular horses the colour of midnight adapted for long distance travels and for carrying supplies and the height from them to the ground made Merlin slightly nervous. Morgause gracefully swung herself up onto one of them and Merlin saw that both horses already had supplies strapped to their backs. 'This should be enough to get us to the village' whispered Morgause as Merlin climbed much less gracefully up onto the horses back.

Merlin nodded silently and Morgause led the way towards the back of the stable. Merlin watched with some confusion as Morgause urged her horse slowly towards the back wall and his eyes widened when she passed straight though it. After a hesitation he led his horse forwards and it trotted slowly though the wall. Merlin felt as if he was passing though water for several moments until he emerged from the wall into the night air. Morgause was waiting a few metres in front of him and when he joined her she nodded towards the southeast 'that way' answering his silent question.

Together they urged their horses forwards into a trot and made their way south; towards Morgana and Nimueh.

* * *

**_well what do you think?_**

**_i just couldnt bring myself to have Helena die and she has a role to play later anyway :) _**

**_okay in the next chapter Arthur and his knights (plus Helena) leave to try and catch up with Morgause and Merlin. Also they will come to the village at the base of the mountians and Morgause and Merlin will meet the girl from Morgana's dreams :)_**

**_i promise that the next chapter will not take as long! :D_**

**_please review!_**


	13. Pursuit

_**hello everyone **_

_**once again i must apologise for the amount of time this has taken and a know that i say this every time but bare with me :)  
**_

_**please enjoy this chapter! :D**_

* * *

_**Chapter 12 ~ Pursuit **_

The bright sun that rose over Camelot seemed at complete odds with the occupant's mood. People knew what had taken place during the last night, they knew that the King's sister was missing and that Helena had nearly died that same night. So it was rather comforting to here the very familiar cry that echoed around the castle from the King's chambers.

'Merlin!' shouted Arthur for what felt like the hundredth time 'Merlin where the hell are you?' Merlin was supposed to have joined him some hours ago, one to wake him up and two to help him with some ideas with how to proceed. Now thanks to Merlin it was past dawn, if only by an hour, so they had already lost several hours they could have spent making their way towards Morgana. At that moment there was a knock on the door 'Merlin! What the hell are you playing at?' asked Arthur as the door opened. To Arthur's surprise and some what embarrassment Lancelot entered the room 'oh Lancelot sorry I was expecting someone else'

'I can gather that Arthur' said Lancelot looking around.

Arthur immediately knew that something was bothering his friend; Lancelot's heart hadn't been in that jibe at all. 'What is it?' asked Arthur.

Lancelot seemed worried 'you haven't seen Morgause have you? She wasn't there when I woke up'

Arthur frowned and immediately felt worry goring at the edge of his heart; was it a coincidence that both Morgause and Merlin, two people who were arguably the most worried about Morgana, the two people who would easily have been able to slip out unnoticed, were missing? 'No I haven't seen Morgause… you haven't seen Merlin have you? He was meant to join me a few hours ago'

Lancelot shook his head and said slowly 'no I haven't seen Merlin since last night…' he looked at Arthur and murmured 'coincidence?' he didn't sound convinced.

Arthur shook his head and said 'I think we should look for them' Lancelot nodded and the two of them left the room and made their way towards Merlin's room. After briefly checking his room the two friends immediately decided that something was wrong. But it was only after they had spoken to every guard on duty did they really begin to worry.

Arthur took a deep breath and said 'lets check the stables; if there are any horses missing then we can panic'

Lancelot nodded but said nothing; he looked like he was already starting to panic. Together the two friends walked towards the stables and when they got there they found that their question was already answered. There were several, rather puzzled looking guards standing out side. Arthur approached them and asked 'what's the problem here?'

The four guards dipped their heads in acknowledgment of their King before one of them answered 'Sire we were seeing to the horses as you asked us to, to make sure they were all fit for the march today and well…' he glanced at the other guards for support.

Another stepped forwards and said bashfully 'two horses seem to be missing Sire, but all the guards swear that no one left the castle last night'

Arthur sighed, well the people who had taken those horses would have made sure that no one could see them, and said 'don't worry about it… there should still be enough horses for everyone'

He and Lancelot left, making their way slowly back towards the castle 'now can we panic?' asked Lancelot sarcastically

Arthur hesitated 'we need to talk to Helena, she's has to have some idea of what we should do'. Lancelot nodded and the two of them hurried towards Gaius's chambers.

When they reached the wooden door Arthur knocked and pushed it open. Both of them rushed in but stopped when they saw Helena slowly walking around the room. Arthur stared at her and said 'your already better?'

Helena smiled slightly 'I've had a life times training in magic and the healing arts but I'm not quite better… but I should be well enough to come with you to rescue Morgana'

'No way' said Arthur firmly shaking his head 'you are not coming with us'

Helena raised a slender eyebrow 'and you're going to stop me?'

Arthur opened his mouth but then shut it realising that there was no way he could stop Helena from coming with them, she could just turn them all into ants, put them in a box and carry them to their destination if they tried. Helena smiled as his face fell 'don't worry Arthur, I wont do anything stupid. Oh and you might not want to argue, your going to have enough trouble stopping Gwen from coming'

Arthur's eyes opened wide 'Gwen cant come!'

Helena smiled again then said 'what did you want to see me about?'

At that moment it all came rushing back 'Merlin and Morgause are gone!' said Lancelot rising panic in his voice.

Helena frowned then sat down and said in a rather defeated voice 'I can't say I'm exactly surprised'

Arthur frowned 'you mean you knew that they were going to leave?'

Helena smiled wryly 'did you honestly expect them to wait when they found out where Morgana was? They probably waited till we were all asleep'

Arthur was counting on his fingers 'that gives them around six hours head start!'

Helena nodded 'and once they're at a certain point Morgause will be able to teleport them there'

Lancelot frowned 'a certain point?'

'A sorcerer or sorceress can teleport from almost as far away as they like…but only if they have already seen the place they need to get to' she looked from one to the other and winced slightly 'otherwise it can get messy'.

'Morgause hasn't seen this village has she?' asked Arthur slowly 'so they won't be able to teleport there'

Helena nodded 'until the village is in sight or if she has a vision'

Arthur nodded 'right' he turned to Lancelot 'can you get everyone ready to leave within the next few minutes?'

Lancelot nodded and left. Arthur turned back to Helena 'have you seen this village?'

He watched Helena hesitate, then nod slowly, 'I've been there before'

Arthur thought that there was an odd note in her voice but he dismissed it as his imagination 'would you be able to teleport us there?' he asked anxiously

Helena smiled slightly 'don't you remember what happened when Morgause tried teleporting with an injury?' Arthur nodded 'it could have been much worse'

Arthur frowned 'so instead of appearing meters away from where she intended what could have happened?'

Helena grimaced 'she could have ended up with half of herself and Merlin back there and half of them here… it's not a very nice way to die'

* * *

For most of the journey so far neither Morgause nor Merlin had spoken to each other. The only sound in the still morning was the constant sound of their horse's hooves hitting the ground, accompanied by the occasional snort. They had ridden towards the southeast in silence, when they needed to change direction or needed to find out where to go they would both look at the map that Merlin had copied and then they would silently move in that direction. Both of them had a similar thought on their minds: Morgana.

Morgause was trying to contact Morgana, she had been since they had left Camelot but it was as if Morgana was blocked from her sight, which was probably Nimueh's handy work. She couldn't stop thinking about her; was Nimueh hurting her? Surly not, Morgause would know if she was. But the thought had crossed her mind more than once that it was possible that she wouldn't know especially if Nimueh had some kind of ward around the ruins. The thought scared her and she still didn't trust herself to speak. The thought that she and Morgana were pregnant also kept crossing her mind… had they done the right thing, keeping it from Lancelot and Merlin? Was she doing the right thing in not telling them still? Could she ever forgive herself if something happened to Morgana?

Merlin couldn't help blaming himself for the fact that Nimueh had gotten her hands on Morgana, he shouldn't have let her go. He should have found some way to make her stay behind even if it had involved tying her in unbreakable ropes. He knew that in a way his guilt was absurd especially considering that Morgause had probably taught Morgana some way to get out of unbreakable chains. He glanced at Morgause now and wondered that if he had asked her whether she would have helped him to stop Morgana from going seeing as she cared for Morgana almost as much as he cared for Morgana.

He turned his head as the sun emerged from behind some clouds; it was already seven hours past dawn and Merlin felt as if they were loosing time; they were still in the forest that surrounded the city. Morgause had already explained to him that she couldn't teleport them anywhere she hadn't seen before but she had suggested that when they stopped to rest she could try scrying the village, using the dream that Morgana had shown Merlin that Merlin had shown Morgause.

Suddenly a thought popped into Merlin's mind and he said slowly 'Morgause… why can't you just teleport us there using the dream Morgana showed me?'

Morgause smiled slightly 'we didn't actually see the village remember Merlin? The only reason we know that there is one there is because of Arthur's map'

'Oh… right' Merlin looked around at the forest, still shrouded in part-darkness, and shuddered 'I've never liked this forest'

Morgause gave him an odd look 'why? There isn't anything to be afraid of'

Merlin raised his eyebrows 'really? Because all the monsters that have ever harmed Camelot have come from here'

Morgause smiled 'I mean for us… its not like you have to hide your magic anymore'

Merlin smiled tightly and looked around 'did Lancelot ever tell you about the griffin that he saved me from?'

'And got injured in the process?' asked Morgause raising an eyebrow 'yes he did, why?'

Merlin shivered again 'that creature was almost impossible to kill…and it came from here' he frowned slightly 'come to think of it I think the Questing Beast came from some where around here'

Morgause said nothing but she glanced around looking slightly nervous. There was a silence again for a few moments before Merlin said 'when do you think this forest will end?'

Morgause smiled and nodded up ahead. Turning his head Merlin saw, not many meters away, the edge of the forest. Merlin smiled sheepishly 'right'

They increased their horse's speed and soon burst though the canopy onto wild hills and plains. Morgause looked around then pointed; there, clearly visible from this distance were the White Mountains. Merlin stared for a moment then said 'I know this place!'

Morgause turned to look at him 'I thought you didn't recognise it from the dream' she said incredulously

Merlin nodded 'I didn't but I do now. This is the route I took to the Isle of the Blessed when I needed to find a cure for the Questing Beast's bite'

Morgause turned and frowned at the mountains 'that's odd…I recognise this place too… I have been here before'

Merlin frowned at her 'would you forget something like that?'

'No' Morgause shook her head 'Nimueh must be stopping me from remembering this place'

'Why would she want to do that?' asked Merlin in some surprise

'Because I think I have seen this village we're going to before, or at least the country side close to it…she wants to slow us down as much as possible'

Merlin frowned as their horses moved forward again 'but that doesn't make any sense; Nimueh wants to drain our magic, she is using Morgana so that we will have no choice but to go to her… so why would she want to delay us?'

'Maybe…' said Morgause slowly 'she doesn't really know how to drain our powers'

There was a silence for a moment as they both contemplated that possibility. Then Merlin said slowly 'so if we can get to Morgana before Nimueh figures out how to take our magic then there is less risk?'

Morgause nodded and said '_if _we get there before… which I doubt somehow' she glanced at Merlin who still looked hopeful and smiled slightly. She had decided a while ago that Merlin was still a bit like a young boy despite the heavy burden of his destiny.

At that point her thoughts were confirmed by Merlin saying suddenly 'I'm hungry'

It was so unexpected and so out of touch with the situation that Morgause laughed, a high clear laughter that echoed in the still air around them, then smiled at Merlin who looked slightly surprised 'well I'm sure we can afford to take a rest' she slid gracefully off her horse then lead the great stallion out of the shadows of the trees stopping some yards away and tying its reins to the trunk of a lone tree some way away from the forest.

Merlin joined her and then pulled some of their provisions out of his horse's pack and sat down cross-legged on the ground. Morgause knelt down on her knees a moment later, her cloak covering her so that you could only see a scrap of the red silk dress she was so fond of wearing, her own provisions in her hands. They ate for a while in silence and Merlin was struck suddenly by what he would have thought if someone had told him, no more than around a month ago, that he would be sitting at perfect ease next to Morgause calmly eating breakfast with her. The thought made him smile and he turned to tell Morgause to find something that surprised him. Morgause was still sitting beside him but she had gone ridged, her back completely straight, her eyes wide and unseeing. If it wasn't for the slight breeze that ruffled her golden-blond hair she could have been a statue; a staring, beautiful statue halfway though eating breakfast and with a slight expression of surprise on its face.

Yet Merlin knew that Morgause wasn't a statue and for a second he stared at her in surprise and concern. Then he quickly placed his food on the ground and moved towards his sister-in-law and stretched out his hands towards her and gave her shoulders a small shake. Morgause didn't respond, however, so he called her name, moving his hand across her line of vision. He was starting to panic now, unsure what to do in case he did the wrong thing. Then suddenly, as abruptly as she had frozen, Morgause blinked and gasped, her huge eyes widening still further and pressing her fingers to the bridge of her nose. She looked up at Merlin meeting his concerned, fearful eyes and she smiled 'I'm alright Merlin' she gave her head a little shake trying to clear it and trying to remember exactly what she had just seen.

Merlin, however, sat back on his heals and raised his eyebrows 'really? Cause you didn't look fine a second ago' he said incredulously

Morgause smiled slightly 'you've seen Morgana have a vision before right?' Merlin nodded 'well that was the same except during the day'

Merlin frowned 'I haven't seen Morgana have a vision during the day… what did you see?'

Morgause frowned 'Arthur's on his way, with half the Camelot army and Helena… they haven't stopped riding since they left and they're probably only six hours behind us'

Merlin was on his feet in a second, he had run to the horses untied them and brought them back before Morgause had fully registered that he had even moved. 'Come on!' urged Merlin swinging himself up onto his horse as Morgause rose to her feet 'we can't let them catch up to us, we still have ages before we reach this village, the exact location of which we don't even know!'

Morgause laid a restraining hand on his leg 'Merlin I hadn't finished. There is a bit of good news; I caught a brief glimpse of the village'

Merlin blinked then climbed down again 'oh…right…so we can teleport there?'

Morgause hesitated 'I think I should scry the village first, now that I've seen it it should be relatively easy'

Morgause knelt down on the ground and touched it with her fingertips. Her eyes glowed and the ground slowly sank to form a perfect basin shape on the grassy hillside. Merlin knelt down besides her watching eagerly as he always did when someone else performed magic. Morgause then turned her hand over so that her palm was facing the sky and slowly pulled her hand up, her eyes glowing again. Merlin watched in some surprise when the basin suddenly began to fill with water. 'How are you doing that?' asked the young warlock with interest.

Morgause glanced up at him 'where ever you go there is always moisture in the soil, unless it's a barren wast land. I am simply drawing the water to the surface'. She turned away from Merlin again and stared into the shimmering water.

Merlin watched expectantly, he held no doubt that Morgause would be able to find this village. After a moment Morgause blinked and waved her hand over the water, which sank back into the ground. 'Well? Did you see it?' asked Merlin eagerly

Morgause stood frowning slightly 'yes…but I don't think we can teleport there'

Merlin jumped up and frowned at her 'why on earth not?'

Morgause was frowning 'I think that someone has placed a ward around the village that protects it'

'Protects it' repeated Merlin frowning 'why would Nimueh want to protect it?'

Morgause swung herself up onto her horse and Merlin followed her example 'lets keep moving I will explain on the way'

Merlin nodded and the two of them urged their horses into a quick trot. After a moment Merlin asked 'so why would Nimueh want to protect the village?'

Morgause was frowning 'that's what puzzles me; I don't think it was Nimueh who placed that ward around it'

Merlin stared at her 'what do you mean?'

Morgause sighed 'what I saw… the person I saw… I don't think it was Nimueh'

Merlin frowned at her 'maybe you should show me other wise I don't think I'm going to get it'

Morgause nodded and a flood of images blossomed in Merlin's mind.

_The village was small, probably about the same size as his home village; behind it the mountains rose high, beside it a river curved down from the mountains. There was a young woman standing a fare way away from the village with her back to him. The light from the moon shone on long golden brown curly hair and the young woman's tall graceful figure. She raised her bare arms, a startling marble white in the moonlight and began to speak in the language of the Old Religion her voice seemingly familiar. From her hands flowed a clear shimmering substance, which vanished on the night air a few second after it left her fingertips. After several minutes the young woman lowered her arms and turned slightly as two men emerged from the shadows. One of them was young, tall, lean and muscular with tousled brown hair and deep blue eyes. The other was older, probably some where in his late thirty's or early forty's, with dark skin and dark eyes. He was wearing a cloak with its hood thrown back and clearly visible on his neck was the sign that marked him as a druid. The young woman smiled and walked over two the pair and after giving the young, handsome man a hug turned to the druid who said 'is it done?'_

_The young woman nodded 'your people, our people, along with those normal people that welcome us will be safe from now on… that ward will also guard against the knights of Uther Pendragon; they will not see what we really are'_

_The druid nodded and turned to face the village 'this place will be a haven during these dark times…and after'_

The vision faded and Merlin blinked several times before saying 'well that definitely wasn't Nimueh'

Morgause nodded 'what puzzles me is that the older man is a druid…I've never heard of druids living in villages'

Merlin frowned 'well if there are other villages like the one we just saw and what that sorceress said about being protected was true we probably wouldn't have heard of them'

Morgause nodded 'so should we be worried about this sorceress or not?'

Merlin hesitated 'I don't know, the druids know who I am and I think every one would be thankful to Arthur…it just depends whether or not they're really paranoid about the people who come in and out of their village'

Morgause nodded then after a pause said 'did you recognise the sorceress?'

Merlin shook his head 'I was going to ask you that, some one that powerful was probably tutored by the Priestesses of the Old Religion and since you were trained by them I thought you might know'

Morgause frowned slightly 'I don't remember her…but she looked…we didn't see her face but I feel like I should know who she is'

Merlin frowned at her 'that's odd…I feel the same'

* * *

**_so was it good? did you like it or hate it? _**

**_so who do you think the sorceress that cast that protective charm on the village is?_**

**_ i hope you liked it! Please Review! _**


	14. Eleanor

_**hello every one here is the next chapter! :D  
a clue for this chapter is that we meet the girl in Morgana's dream :)  
please enjoy and please please please review!**_

* * *

_**Chapter 13 ~ Eleanor **_

Morgana groaned and open her eyes groggily. She was lying on the cold hard floor of a damp musty smelling cave. A bright sunset lit up the cave, revealing that it was covered in a fine layer of straw. Morgana groaned again at the sharp pains that laced her rib cage as she sat up slowly pressing on the bridge of her nose. There was a slight humming ring coming from somewhere near by and it was giving her a headache. After a moment she looked around.

'Oh look; sleeping beauty's awake'

Morgana turned her head and glared; Nimueh was leaning against the wall of the large cave and Mordred was sitting on the ground beside her smirking. Morgana shuddered slightly; she had never quite noticed how disturbing Mordred's smile was.

Nimueh straightened and walked over to stand in front of Morgana and look down at her. Morgana for her part gazed up at Nimueh with a mixture of loathing and curiosity; she had never actually met Nimueh before. There was no doubt that Nimueh was beautiful with her long black hair and fine cheekbones but, although her eyes were attractive there was something about their vibrant electric blue colour that seemed almost unnatural.

Nimueh tilted her head slightly and smiled 'I do hope that my…allies didn't cause you any unnecessary harm'

Morgana said nothing and eventually Nimueh crouched down in front of the younger woman with a sigh 'now Morgana you might as well talk there is no need to start off badly'

Finally Morgana said quietly 'what do you want?'

Nimueh's pale face split into a smile 'that's better'

Morgana narrowed her eyes 'what do you want?'

Nimueh sighed 'I want to offer you a choice-'

'If you're about to offer me the chance to switch sides then you can save your breath the answer is no'

Nimueh's expression didn't change but she remained where she was her head slightly tilted staring at Morgana with those unnerving eyes. Suddenly her eyes widened and she began to laugh 'well I suppose under the circumstances you wouldn't would you'

Morgana frowned at Nimueh not understanding. Nimueh beckoned to Mordred then leaned forward and touched the lower part of Morgana's stomach. Morgana's eyes widened and she flinched away from the touch bringing her knees up to her chest protectively. 'Don't touch me' she hissed

Nimueh smiled 'of course I had heard that you and Merlin were married not long ago but I suppose you must have been in a relationship long before that…' she closed her eyes suddenly and for a couple of seconds she remained still.

Mordred stared at Morgana over Nimueh's shoulder while Nimueh remained still and after a moment Morgana realised that he was trying to get into her head. She immediately focused on her defences and examined them for any weakness. To her satisfaction Mordred glared and let out a soft snarl.

Nimueh abruptly opened her eyes and turned her head to look at the former druid boy 'did you know that Morgause and Lancelot were in a relationship?'

Mordred blinked 'I noticed that they were very close why?'

'Turns out that Morgana isn't the only Le Fay sister who's pregnant' said Nimueh turning her head back to stare at Morgana 'the prophecy is commencing even faster than we originally thought'

Mordred stared at her then said 'Nimueh I want a word outside now!' he didn't shout in fact he spoke quietly but there as no mistaking the anger in his voice. He then turned and stormed out of the cave.

Nimueh sighed and stood 'children can by so bad tempered' she walked to the cave entrance but before leaving turned back and said 'oh Morgana, don't bother to try contacting anyone I have placed a spell that prevents you from contacting anyone with magic'

Morgana glowered at her until she was out of site then sagged against the wall and groaned. She pressed her hands against her stomach and rested her head against the wall allowing a tear to trickle down her cheek. Nimueh new about her child and she was terrified. What would Nimueh do? What could she do to stop her? Could she stop her? Morgana opened her eyes and swallowed then sat up.

Nimueh had said that she couldn't contact anyone using magic… but she had no other option than to at least try. Morgana closed her mind and closed her self off from every thing else. Then she pulled her self into the back of her own mind examining the lines that connected her to her family. This was how she saw the physical connection that linked her mind to those in her family. She could communicate with people other than using those connections but it was easier in some ways. She had never thought about them because she had only ever needed to talk to three of them and she new those lines so well.

There was Morgause's which was like a strong cord the colour of scarlet rubies, Helena's that though the same thickness was the colour of emeralds and there was Merlin's which was exactly the same but which was a deep blue in colour. All three of them glowed with a slight gold in colour and each of them extended out into blackness.

Morgana hesitated then thinking jthat she might as well try she extended her mind cautiously towards those glowing cords and touched Merlin's with her mind. Nothing happened. Morgana sighed then turned her attention instead to the other connections she had. She had never considered them before because they had never seemed important. There were only two others; both were thinner, one more than the other, than the other three and both seemed to be almost transparent in colour. Morgana frowned slightly wondering whom they could represent. It seemed so far that these…cords, or in these two cases strings, seemed to represent the members of her family so she guessed that at least one of those cords represented Arthur. She was curious however, about the thinner cord. Stretching her mind out she touched the thin cord and again nothing happened. Morgana drew back and studied them again. Merlin was there because she was married to him, Helena and Morgause because she was related to them. Those three plus the thinnest string all had that very faint golden glow which she suddenly realised must represent magic. So maybe the other one was Arthur's, which would explain why it didn't have that glow and why it was there in the first place. Wondering if her guess was right she touched the connection very gently. And suddenly she felt Arthur's mind in a whirl of emotions and thoughts and feelings. Nimueh had meant exactly what she had said; Morgana would not be able to contact anyone who _had magic._

Hardly daring to believe that she had finally managed to contact someone Morgana asked tentatively _'Arthur?' _

She felt Arthur's shock then _'Morgana, is that you?'_

'_Arthur!' _

She heard Arthur shout something to some people then _'Morgana! Are you all right? Where are you? Has Nimueh hurt you?'_

'_Arthur calm down please and listen to me I don't know how long I have'_

'_Sorry keep going'_

'_Nimueh and Mordred are here; I don't actually know where I am but its sunset here. No Nimueh hasn't hurt me and yes I am all right. Are you all right? Are Merlin and Morgause?'_

'_Yes…'_

She heard the hesitation in his voice _'what? What happened?'_

'_Nothing happened it's just that when Merlin and Morgause realised where you were they left to find you… we're several hours behind them'_

'_What you mean that they're not with you?'_

'_Yes I am sorry even Helena knew that they would-' _

'_Helena? You mean that she isn't…'_

'_Don't worry she is fine she is with us now, we found her after the battle' _

'_Arthur please I need to speak to her, I cant contact her myself because of Nimueh's meddling but its urgent that I speak to her; Nimueh has found something out that she could use against both me and Morgause'_

'_Morgana wait I don't think that's good idea'_

'_Why?'_

'_Well if Nimueh has placed a spell that prevents you from contacting anyone with magic it might also alert her if you talk to someone with magic _through _someone who doesn't'_

'_You have a point'_

'_Look why not just tell me and I'll tell her?'_

Morgana hesitated and bit her lip _'Arthur are you riding at the moment?'_

'_No we have stopped for a break'_

'_Good because this might come as a bit of a shock to you'_

'_I am all ears and it takes a lot to shock me'_

Morgana took a deep breath then said _'I'm pregnant'_

She felt his shock and astonishment and wished that she could see his face. Finally he said _'well that did shock me. Err… congratulations'_

'_Thanks Arthur' _she smirked slightly

'_Why would that affect Morgause?'_

'_Umm… she's also pregnant'_

Silence. Then _'give me a minute'_

Morgana waited impatiently for a couple of seconds before saying _'come on its not like you've never heard of something like this before'_

'_No it's just that I am finding it hard to adjust to the fact that you and Morgause have made me an uncle so young'_

'_Come on Arthur can you take a minute after?'_

'_Right sorry…do Merlin and Lancelot know?'_

'_No; Helena told us just before the battle when she drew us aside into a room and we decided not to tell them in case something happened to us and they would have to deal with both are deaths'_

'_Okay I wont tell Lancelot yet'_

'_You better not he might die of shock. But can you please tell Helena that Nimueh knows that we are both pregnant and that I don't know what to do? I will try contacting you later ok?'_

'_Alright be careful Morgana'_

'_I will, stay safe'_

She pulled away before he could say anything else and opened her eyes feeling slightly better. Maybe Helena would know what to do…Morgana felt so relieved knowing that Helena wasn't dead and that she was all right. Admittedly she was a bit worried about Morgause and Merlin but she knew that until they got here they were relatively safe. Then she frowned puzzled as she remembered that fifth link she had in her mind. Contacting Arthur had confirmed that every one of those cords was a link either to someone she was related to or someone she was married to and the golden glow meant that the person had magic. As far as she knew she didn't have any other relatives, especially one who had magic… So whom did the fifth string represent?

* * *

When Merlin and Morgause finally arrived at the small village on the other side of the White Mountains the sun had already set and both were exhausted having not stopped riding since that one time several hours ago.

Morgause brought her horse up short, Merlin following suit beside her, and glanced at her brother-in-law. Merlin was staring at the little village laid out several metres in front of them; there was a small stonewall running along its border that looked more like decoration then a defensive structure, there was no sign telling travellers the name of this village and from where they were they could see that the streets were wide and open. At that moment a young boy, probably close to his early teens, ran out from behind the stonewall and stopped in front of their horses smiling. His face was open and honest and it was clear that he had no fear of strangers. Morgause slid down from her horse landing in the dewy grass and approached the boy. Bending down so that her face was level with his she said 'hello, I'm Morgause what's your name?'

The young boy grinned 'Harry'

'Well Harry, my friend and I have been travelling for some time, do you know of a place where we could stay?'

The boy nodded and looked at Merlin who had come to join Morgause 'who's he?'

Morgause smiled 'that's Merlin'

The boy studied Merlin critically then said 'his ears are funny'

Morgause laughed at the offended expression Merlin's face then the boy said 'follow me'

He turned wandered back into the town. Merlin and Morgause followed him, leading their horses by their reigns, and took in the scene around them. There were a lot of people around, standing talking in the streets or wandering around whistling under their breaths and lights shone from the many windows reviling that most people had guests over that night. There were no children in the streets, it being the time it was, but the two sorcerers could here children laughing and playing in the houses. The boy lead them to a large inn situated quite close to the entrance from which they could hear laughing and singing.

The boy turned to them 'that's the inn, your welcome to stay in the lodgings there. There is a stable for horses just there' he pointed the a barn they hadn't noticed just on the corner of the inn 'I can put your horses there if you like'

'Thank you' said Merlin handing the boy their reigns. The boy led the horses to the stable and after a moment remerged then, after waving once, darted off into the darkness. The pair looked up at the swinging inn sign, which read 'the Silver Horse',then Morgause followed Merlin into the bustling inn. The inn was full of people laughing, some singing some whistling, but they managed to get to the bar without much trouble neither of them meting anyone's eye.

The bar man bustled up to them smiling a genuine smile before asking 'what can I get you two?' he seemed friendly enough

Merlin hesitated so Morgause moved forward and asked clearly 'do you have to room with two beds for the night?'

The bar man paused 'ill check' he shouted something to one of the bar maids who nodded before hurrying off. The man then turned back to them with a smile 'can I get you anything while you wait?' when both gave him a negative he said conversationally 'been travelling far?' he was eyeing their dark hooded cloaks.

Merlin nodded and, seeing no reason not to be honest with this man, said 'we've come from Camelot'

A wide grin split the innkeepers face 'Camelot eh? What brings you so far from home?'

'We're looking for a friend of ours' said Morgause looking around the inn noting that people were staring at them.

'Say you haven't seen anyone…not from here recently?' asked Merlin leaning forwards with an engaging smile.

The man paused, recognising the opportunity for some idle gossip, 'well your not the first travellers not from around here that we've seen if that's what you mean. Only the other day a band of odd-looking people matched past this place. They didn't come here though, they came from the other side of the mountain but went around this way before ascending it'

'Why come around though?' asked Merlin interested

'The other side is inhabited by…creatures that don't like to be disturbed. Mind you something has disturbed them because they've been seen on this side of the mountain'

Merlin and Morgause glanced at each other, as the innkeeper turned to the maid, was it possible that that band of 'travellers' had in fact been the remains of Nimueh's army? Was it possible that Nimueh was the reason that the mountain creatures were straying beyond their usual boundaries?

The inn keeper turned to them smiling 'your room is available, I hope you have a pleasant stay'

'So do we' said Morgause smiling. She and Merlin then followed the maid up the staircase to the right of the bar. When they reached the top they found themselves on a long wide corridor, the maid led them to the end of the corridor and gestured to the door on the right murmuring quietly 'have a nice stay' before scuttling off.

The room was nice; two single beds sat in the middle of the room with the heads touching the wall and there was a large closed window between the two beds, in the corner of the room was a basin accompanied by a hanging mirror. Morgause flopped down onto the nearest one and sighed 'I'm exhausted'

'Its only to be expected; the last time we slept was just after we found out where Morgana was and you and I only had a couple of hours sleep' said Merlin sitting down on the other bed and pulling his cloak off.

Morgause nodded pulling her own cloak off 'so we rest until morning then we find out where the ruins are and go rescue Morgana' Merlin nodded but both knew it wasn't going to be that simple

'Are you sure that we should be doing this I mean what if Arthur catches up with us?' asked Merlin

Lying down and closing her eyes Morgause smiled 'trust me Merlin at this point in time Arthur and he knights are sleeping and they will until dawn; that still gives us several hours advantage if we sleep in'

Merlin nodded laying back and closing his eyes 'good night Morgause'

'Night Merlin'

* * *

It was well past dawn when Morgause woke up yawning widely. Merlin was still sound asleep, his mouth open slightly, on the other bed. Standing up Morgause looked around until she found the mirror on the far wall. She walked over rubbing her eyes and began her daily routine. After peering at herself in the mirror she filled the basin with water using magic and splashed her face gently to wake herself up. That done she pulled her long curly golden-blond hair into a loose bun on the back of her head and looked at herself in the mirror again.

Morgause turned back to face the rest of the room; there was no change, Merlin was still asleep. Crossing the room she opened the window situated between both their beds and leaned on the sill taking in the scene. The sky was a brilliant light blue dotted here and there with fluffy white clouds. The street below her was wide yet empty of people as it was behind most of the houses. She guessed that their room was at the back of the inn.

Looking down at the street Morgause suddenly realised that it wasn't empty. There were small figures hiding in the shadows their attention fixed eagerly in the middle of the street. Then Morgause saw why; standing in the middle of the street was a small, young girl. From where she was Morgause could see that the girl had hair the colour of chocolate, a dainty chin and slightly pointed nose. Because of where Morgause was standing she was viewing the profile of the child and the only other things she could see was that from her height the girl was probably only around five years old. Interested as to why this girl was the centre of so much attention Morgause leaned forward slightly.

It was then that the girl moved. Stretching her arms in front of her, palms down, and holding her arms so that her hands where as close to the ground as they could get without having to bend over the girl took a deep breath and turned her head slightly. Her smooth brow furrowed in concentration and her eyes glowed gold. The girl then began to raise arms slowly, palms still facing down, and the surface of the ground began to shift. Morgause leaned forward her attention entirely fixed on the girl now and watched in astonishment as the earth rose up and began to fold and twist. The girl was moving her hands quickly now her fingers flicking this way and that, the earth no longer rising but depleting under the girls fingers as she carved out detail after detail. Morgause's mouth was open as she stared at this beautifully performed piece of complex magic. The girl's hands stopped moving suddenly and Morgause moved her attention from the girl back to her work as gasped in astonishment.

Sitting on a plinth several feet off the ground was a skilfully carved statue perfectly resembling a dragon. Every detail was perfect making the statue look like it was really alive. It was sitting on its haunches like a cat, with a tail curved around its feet. Its jaws were open slightly and its teeth seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. Every scale was perfect, every spike, and every wrinkle made it look like it has been carved by the most skilled of masters. But the girl wasn't finished yet. Holding one hand out before her, palm up, she raised her hand slowly. A wall about two inches thick appeared surrounding the statue, a metre back from the plinth and slightly shorter.

The girl walked over to her masterpiece and then held her hands out over the space between the statue on its plinth and the outer wall. And the basin filled with water, not from the girl's hands but from the earth, the same way Morgause had filled a basin to scry. When the water had reached the top the girl suddenly moved her hands in a fluid motion raising them up over her head then around and down to her waist, her eyes glowing. The water rippled then a few seconds later water spurted out of the dragon's mouth, curving slightly before falling back down into the basin below. Morgause's jaw dropped if possible even further; the girl hadn't created a statue…she had created a water fountain.

Suddenly there was movement in the shadows and out of nowhere there were children running towards the newly created fountain cheering and screaming and whooping in delight. And then a water fight began. Children were throwing their hands out to the water and, eyes glowing, a spinning ball of water would rise up into the air to be hurled at the nearest squealing child. Morgause stared quickly realising that half of the children surrounding the fountain had magic. Leaning forward she saw that half of the children with magic where druids, distinguishable by the signs and cloaks. But the other half weren't, they were children who had magic but were not druids. Never had Morgause seen so many children with magic, druids or other, in one place together much less playing openly in the streets. And then she received another shock. Those children who had magic were standing everywhere in the street but there was a cluster of children surrounding the water fountain splashing each other with their hands and squealing with laughter…children who didn't have magic. Morgause stared and smiled at a sight that she had never seen before, children with magic openly using their powers among children who didn't.

Morgause heard an intake of breath beside her and turned her head to see Merlin standing beside her tears in his eyes. Blinking he turned to her and said 'that's pretty advanced magic for someone so young'

Morgause smiled 'I only just remembered that this village has been protected from prying eyes since during the Great Purge. Those children and that girl would have been practicing openly since they were infants with out the worry of being discovered, they would have grown up among druids and people who didn't have powers'

Merlin smiled 'I wish my childhood could have been like that'

Morgause blinked then, not sure what to say, laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. The two of them looked back down at the street at the playing, laughing children and watched them for a while. Suddenly the young girl who had created the fountain looked up at them. Merlin and Morgause stared as the girl's eyes met theirs. The girls face was pale, finely carved and sensitive with high cheekbones and large emerald green orbs flecked strongly with blue stared up at them. Her long chocolate brown hair was wet in some places, as she had been hit more than once by water. She smiled up at them before turning back to the fray.

Morgause felt Merlin stiffen beside her and when she looked at him she saw that his expression was shocked 'what?' she asked urgently, concerned for her brother-in-law.

Merlin continued to stare at the girl 'that's the girl from Morgana's dream'

Morgause stared at him then looked back at the girl 'you're sure?'

'Positive' said Merlin nodding 'we have to speak to her'

Morgause hesitated 'is that a good idea? I mean if we involve her she could get hurt'

'She was in Morgana's dream, she is already involved…come on Morgause you know what happens if you try to change the future. Besides we need to ask someone about the ruins anyway'

Morgause hesitated; Merlin was right, trying to change what you had seen in the future was risky like the time Merlin had tried to stop Morgana from killing Uther, unintentionally causing the chain of events that led up to Morgana finding out that Uther thought she was his daughter and trying to kill him in revenge. Finally she nodded at Merlin who immediately crossed the room and sat down on his bed hastily pulling his boots on. Morgause did the same then slung her cloak around her shoulders and followed Merlin out of the room.

The innkeeper was busy polishing glasses when they descended the stairs. He looked up at them as they approached to pay and grinned 'morning, did you sleep well?'

'Like a log' replied Merlin smiling, pulling out his money bag and counting out the change

There weren't many people around that morning and in the silence they could here the squeals of the playing children from outside. The innkeeper crossed the room and opened a small window behind the staircase and looked out. After a moment he returned, chuckling quietly, and turning to Morgause said 'did you see who created the fountain outside?'

Morgause blinked once 'yes, a young girl probably only about five-'

'Chocolate brown hair, bright emerald green eyes?' asked the innkeeper smiling

Morgause nodded slowly 'yes, how'd you guess?'

The innkeeper laughed 'just a guess, its not the first time that that young girl has created a masterpiece like that'

Merlin looked up from his counting and asked curiously 'who is she exactly, that was pretty advanced magic for someone so young'

The innkeeper didn't ask how Merlin knew so much about magic but replied 'her name is Eleanor and like most of the magicians here she began her training the moment she started to show her magic which was in a couple of months after a berth in her case'

Morgause smiled 'she must have pretty skilled parents'

'Oh yes' the innkeeper nodded vigorously 'her father is one of the sons of the head druid who lives here and her mother-' he stopped suddenly probably wondering why two total strangers were taking so much interest in this child 'why the interest? Its not a crime to have magic now days'

'Oh we mean the girl no harm' said Morgause urgently 'its just that she looks oddly familiar'

'And we are just as thankful to the King of Camelot as the people of this village' added Merlin

The innkeeper stared at them for a moment before his face split into a wide grin 'oh I see! Well that changes things' he paused 'I would love to tell you more but I'm not sure its my place to…why don't you talk to Eleanor your selves?'

Merlin nodded and turned to Morgause 'we should get going anyway' Morgause nodded and Merlin pushed the money over the counter 'thank you, we had a lovely stay'

The innkeeper bade them a cheerful farewell and watched them to the door and when it shut he smiled slightly then went back to polishing his glasses.

* * *

The water fight hadn't died down at all when they reached the fountain children were still running around hurtling balls of water at each other. Merlin and Morgause paused at the edge of the fray unsure how to approach when suddenly a sphere of water hurtled out of the crowd and hit Merlin full in the face.

Morgause burst out laughing and the children stopped there playing to turn to look at the two travellers; one sopping wet, the other laughing so hard that they were bent double. The children all looked at Merlin mixed expressions of humour and nervousness on their faces as if they were unsure whether to laugh or apologise. Merlin blinked several times then turned with a mock-offended expression to look at Morgause who still hadn't stopped laughing. Merlin held out his hand towards the newly created fountain and a ball of water rose almost gracefully out of the water before floating over to rest in his hand. The children watched in surprise, not at seeing magic performed but at seeing a total stranger perform it.

Morgause looked up at this point and saw Merlin standing there a spinning ball of water in his hand and a rather mischievous expression on his face. Her expression changed instantly and, holding her hands in front of her face, she backed away 'Merlin just think-' her sentence was cut of as Merlin threw the ball of water straight in her face.

It was Merlin's turn to burst out laughing and this time the children, realising that these two strangers were magicians and that they didn't look at all angry, joined in. Morgause glared for a second at Merlin then held out her hand towards the pool. Three spinning balls of water were soon hovering in front of Merlin's face.

Soon both in-laws were sopping wet from the water fight they ended up starting. Around them the children had started again and the water that hit the two adults wasn't necessarily cast by the other. After several minutes the water fight died down for good and the children sat on the ground or leaned against each other or rolled in the mud.

Merlin wiped the water out of his eyes and turned to Morgause who had pulled her hair out of her bun and was wringing the water out of it. Her hair was wet, her dress was soaked and her face and neck was covered in droplets of water. Merlin himself wasn't really any better, his hair was plastered flat on his head and his cloths were even wetter than Morgause's.

Morgause held out her hand in front of her and her eyes glowed. The water drops were sucked out of her hair, clothes and skin like a vacuum until she was completely dry. Blinking the last drops from her eyelashes she walked over to the fountain and dropped the water back into the fountain. Turning back she saw that Merlin was also dry and that several of the children were as well. Looking around she saw the girl that had created the fountain, Eleanor, whispering with a couple of druids who were every now and then glancing over at Merlin.

Morgause walked over to him and indicated the group of young magicians, which had increased in number, and raised her eyebrows in question. Merlin took a step towards the children with a slight shrug when suddenly the group of whispering children, who they now realised were all druids, turned to Merlin and one of them, a boy who looked older than the others stepped forwards and said 'greetings Emrys!' and bowed his head. As one the group of druids behind him bowed their heads. The other children all looked at each other, some in surprise and confusion but most of them in awe and respect.

Morgause raised her eyebrows and glancing at Merlin, who looked both surprised and chuffed, and whispered 'you've made quite an impression'

The druid children rose, smiling, and the boy said 'we all have to thank you, Emrys it is mainly thanks to you that we can live with out fear of discovery'

Merlin smiled at the boy 'it doesn't look like any of you have lived in that fear'

The boy grinned 'true, when I say we I mean our kind'

A girl, not a druid said 'why have you come here?'

Merlin glanced at Morgause who said 'we're looking for a friend of ours'

'We're looking for an abandoned ruin somewhere in the mountains…do any of you know where it is?'

The children exchanged glances and then Eleanor stepped forward 'I do' her voice was high and clear with a musical lilt to it. This close they could see that she was probably only five years old.

Morgause smiled 'you're the one who created the fountain aren't you?'

Eleanor nodded 'I can take you to the ruins if you like'

Merlin and Morgause nodded and, after farewelling the other children followed Eleanor though the village. Being this close to her made both Morgause and Merlin realise how familiar she looked and they were finding it increasingly frustrating not being able to place that resemblance. Eleanor suddenly stopped and turned to them 'my name's Eleanor by the way'

The two introduced themselves then Morgause said 'um Eleanor, have you ever been to Camelot?'

Eleanor shook her head, her chocolate locks bouncing up and down, 'no…my mother has but I haven't. One thing though before I take you to these ruins there are some things about it you should know'

'Like what?' asked Merlin interested

They had reached the edge of the village know and Eleanor led them on explaining that she could tell them the story on the way as it would take a while to get there and as Merlin and Morgause were in a hurry. Morgause frowned 'how do you know we're in a hurry?'

'My mother is a Seer; I've inherited her powers. I had a dream in which two travellers were chasing people who had captured some one who was very dear to them and that they would arrive at the village that night. I dreamt that they needed my help and that to attract them I would have to create that fountain' she smiled at them

Merlin frowned 'speaking of your mother, wont you parents be worried about you?'

Eleanor shook her head 'my mother is away helping some relatives of hers and my father is trying to find something for her. Father wont be back til tonight and…' she paused a frown creasing her alabaster forehead 'I don't know when mother will be back'

Morgause frowned 'so your parents just left you in the village?'

Eleanor nodded staring up at Morgause with those wide emerald green eyes 'they're nor being irresponsible…I am perfectly safe in the village… you must have seen that'

They had seen that…it was hard to miss. 'Besides' continued Eleanor 'they are both doing things that will save the future of Albion and that comes first…I haven't seen my mother in several days'

Morgause and Merlin glanced at each other and Merlin said 'so tell us about these ruins' they were just beginning to scale the mountain and it was a lot less steep than it looked from a distance.

'It's a story that's been around for years:  
_The ruins were not always in the state they are now, it is said that it was once a magnificent temple home to some of the most powerful Priestesses of the Old Religion. Magical people used to travel from all over the land to seek the guidance of these sorceresses.  
What made this temple so special however was that deep in an inner chamber was a room with five crystals, each a different type of precious stone, each resembling an Element. These crystals, if used properly and at the right time of day could change someone with magic into someone who didn't.  
During this time magic was not a crime but there were still people who were afraid of their powers and didn't want them… they would go to the Priestesses of the Old Religion and they would have their powers removed. They would become normal…their powers would be forever stored in those crystals.  
This lasted for hundreds of years but there was one thing that the Priestesses overlooked. Eventually over those years the amount of power in the crystals became to great for them to hold and one day during a ceremony the power exploded out of the crystals. The amount of power killed everyone there…and when it fell into ruin the other Priestesses left it that way deciding that it was a too bigger risk.'_ Eleanor looked up at them _'_there are rumours that its haunted and even if it isn't no one goes there because of what happened and because of the fear that it could happen again' Eleanor finished speaking and looked up at them, probably wondering why they both looked like they had been slapped 'what?'

Morgause took a deep breath 'Eleanor…those Priestesses…could they transfer someone's power to someone else?'

Eleanor nodded 'so says the story'

Morgause turned to Merlin and by the expression on his face she knew that he had just realised what she had 'Nimueh is going to use those crystals to take our power' she whispered

Merlin nodded his eyes wide 'we need to get to Morgana'

Morgause nodded and said 'I think I should contact Helena…she needs to know this and if she is with Arthur then she can tell him'

Merlin nodded, wondering for the first time if it had been a bad idea to go on ahead. Morgause closed her eyes and was on the verge of contacting Helena when Eleanor's high clear voice said 'that's my mothers name'

Morgause's eyes flew open and she and Merlin turned slowly to face Eleanor who was sitting on a rock watching them though those big emerald green eyes, eyes they now realised that they had seen before. 'What?' asked Morgause shakily, realising that if what she was thinking was right everything would fit together; the reason why she seemed so familiar and the reason why they felt they knew her.

Eleanor blinked, surprised by their suddenly intense gazes 'my mother's name is Helena'

And it clicked. The reason why Eleanor seemed so familiar, the reason why she had been in Morgana's dream. Staring at her now they wondered how they had taken this long to realise, Eleanor had the same eyes and features as her mother and her hair was the same style, though it was a different colour. Eleanor had told them that her mother was a Seer and that she had been helping some relatives in Camelot…helping them.

That was what Helena had been doing before she had saved them, that was why she never spent more than a couple of hours with them…she had a family…she had a daughter.

* * *

**_so do you like it?  
please please review and let me know!  
_**


	15. Helena's Secret

_**hello everyone here, finally, is the next chapter!**_

_**i apoligise, as i always do, for the delay in updating and i hope that you are all still interested in this story :D**_

_**please read and enjoy!  
**_

* * *

_**Chapter 14 ~ Helena's Secret **_

Arthur looked around him. He and his company had just arrived at their destination, the village where Morgause and Merlin had stayed the night before. He, Lancelot and a few chosen knights were standing in the village square, the rest of Camelot's knights were waiting outside the village. Arthur had the same impression that Merlin and Morgause had, that this was a very peaceful open village that hadn't endured many hardships over the last few years.

There were people looking out from their houses, children peering around corners and men and women looking from their front door steps. They were weary, Arthur realised, and they had every right to be, seeing as he and his friends had swords slung from their hips and in some cases, crossbows slung over their shoulders. There was no way that these people could tell they were from Camelot because they had made the decision not to travel with their capes so as to be more discrete.

Lancelot leaned sideways slightly and murmured 'we should probably tell them that we mean them no harm'

Arthur gave a slight nod but hesitated 'what should I say?' he whispered back 'I don't think I should just step forward and announce that I'm the King'

Lancelot hesitated 'maybe you should ask if they've seen Merlin and Morgause, we know they came though here we just don't know when'

At that moment a man stepped forward, (Arthur immediately recognised him as a druid from the sign on his neck) and asked, 'travellers, what is your business here?' he didn't sound angry or threatening just simply anxious. He was old Arthur realised, he had dark skin and dark hair and he was very likely the same age as Uther had been when he died. His eyes, just as dark as his hair, were trained on the weapons they were carrying.

Arthur cleared his throat and stepped forward 'I am sorry if we have startled you, we mean you no harm. I am Arthur Pendragon, this is Lancelot…' Arthur trailed off in surprise. The change in the druid's face and of those around him was instantaneous.

A smile lit up the faces of all those in hearing range and everyone immediately bowed their heads in respect. The old druid raised his head and said 'forgive us my Lord I didn't recognise you'

Arthur grinned, slightly overwhelmed 'don't be it's a mistake anyone could make'

People were coming out from their houses now, children were running forward to get a better look and Arthur found suddenly that he was being thanked on every side. Blinking he raised his hands and a silence fell. 'Why all the thanks?' he asked in surprise 'what have I ever done for you?'

The old druid smiled 'take a look at all of us Sire and tell us what you see'

Arthur looked around at the people standing feet away from him and suddenly saw something that he had overlooked. Many of the children surrounding him were wearing the cloaks of druids, as were many of the adults, and several of them had visible druidic signs on their arms or hands. 'A lot of you are druids' he said slowly amazed that there were so many living in one place.

The old druid smiled 'and many more of us here are gifted with magic. What you see my Lord is a village where for many years people with magic have been living openly in harmony with people who are like you' gesturing around he turned back to the young king and said 'you have now made this possible for the whole of Camelot and for that we thank you'

Arthur smiled 'you, all of you, are very welcome'

A young boy, probably around his early teens, stepped forward and looked up at Arthur for a moment. Arthur looking back down saw with some surprise that the boy's clothes and hair were wet. Glancing up he saw that that was the case with almost every child there. The boy was frowning up at him slightly then he said 'you look like Morgause'

Arthur froze and stared at him; feeling Lancelot stiffen beside him and said breathlessly 'you know Morgause?' he could hardly believe their luck.

The young boy nodded 'she arrived last night with this man with funny ears–'

'That's Merlin' said Arthur

'–And they asked me if I knew a place they could stay. They stayed at the inn last night. They left not long ago'

Arthur turned to Lancelot 'we need to hurry' his friend nodded and he turned back to the watching crowd.

He was just about to ask them if they knew where the ruins were when Helena joined him. Helena had been travelling slightly behind the company, as they basically hadn't stopped since that time when Morgana had contacted Arthur. She still wasn't back to her usual strength. Relieved that she was finally there he turned to her and was about to tell her what he had just discovered when the old druid behind him said 'Helena, its good to see you again'

Helena smiled 'and you Armis' she looked around at everyone and smiled 'its good to see all of you…its been a while'

Lancelot voiced Arthur's confusion 'you know these people?'

It was Armis who answered 'Helena placed a spell on this village at the beginning of the Great Purge which protected us from prying eyes'

Helena looked guiltily at her nephew 'I've been meaning to tell you… this is where I live–' she seemed to be about to say more when a tall man stepped out of the crowd towards her. Arthur had a brief impression of a tanned handsome face, chocolate brown hair and deep blue eyes. Next second the man had gathered Helena into his arms and kissed her.

Arthur felt like his eyes were popping out of his head, his mouth was open and he felt more confused than he had in his life as he watched Helena and this man kissing passionately. Turning his head he saw that Lancelot, Gawain and Elyan were in the same state though none of the villagers seemed at all surprised. Armis waved the villagers away and they began to disperse. When Arthur looked back Helena and the young man had drawn apart and the man had slipped a hand around her waist and turned to face them a wide crooked grin on his handsome face.

Helena turned to the stricken knights and said 'close your mouth Arthur you look like a goldfish'

Arthur shut his mouth then said hoarsely 'are you going to explain that?'

Helena tucked her golden brown hair behind her ear, sighed then said 'Jason this is Arthur, my nephew, Lancelot, Gawain and Elyan. Everyone this is Jason …my husband'

Jason smirked at their expressions and nodded once 'pleased to meet you all, Helena has told me all about you' he had a pleasant voice with a strong current of laughter running under the surface.

Helena turned her emerald green eyes away from the still shocked knights to Jason and asked 'where's Eleanor?'

Jason hesitated 'I don't know exactly. I got back about ten minutes ago and no ones seen her-'

'Who's Eleanor?' asked Arthur finding his voice again

'My daughter' said Helena distractedly.

'So let me get this straight, you're married and you have a daughter?' asked a shocked Lancelot

'Yes' Helena looked around a frown creasing her forehead.

'Right…ok' said Arthur faintly feeling as if he had received too much shock since Morgana had informed him that she and Morgause were pregnant.

Helena turned her bright eyes on him 'I am sorry Arthur, I would have told you its just that Nimueh could have been watching us…I wanted to protect my family'

Arthur nodded; he wasn't angry with Helena, he understood exactly why she had kept it from him and if anything he was happy for her. It was just that he wasn't sure exactly how much more shock he could take.

Helena turned back to her husband and asked 'when was the last time anyone saw her?'

'About half an hour ago, she created a fountain over behind the inn and she and the other children engaged in a very enthusiastic water fight' he gestured to the children playing in the street or trying to follow the conversation 'the inn keeper said that there were two people asking about her but they didn't tell him their names'

Helena opened her mouth to reply then suddenly looked down. There was a small girl tugging on the folds of her dress looking up at her. Helena bent down and put her ear near the girl's mouth and the girl began whispering furiously in her ear, glancing nervously at the knights. Helena listened attentively then said quietly 'do you know which way they went?' the small girl pointed with a small finger and Helena smiled 'thank you'. Holding her hand out in front of her Helena's eyes glowed and a petit lily appeared in her hand. Beckoning the girl forward Helena tucked the beautifully crafted lily behind the girl's ear. The girl touched it with an expression of awe murmured a quick ''ank you' and fled the scene.

Smiling Helena rose to her feet and turning to the others said 'Eleanor met Morgause and Merlin about half an hour ago and they left not fifteen minutes ago; she's taking them to the ruins'

Lancelot frowned 'your daughter knows where the ruins are but you don't'

'Well yes and no…' said Helena slowly 'I was raised by the Priestesses of the Old Religion so I have heard of these ruins but apart from that I don't really know anything about them'

Arthur frowned 'so how would she know where to take them?'

At that point there was the sound of someone clearing their throat. Everyone turned and looked at Armis who looked rather guilty 'I um might have something to do with that'

Jason groaned 'father what did you do?'

Armis bit his lip 'she only asked for the legend – the story – of the ruins'

Helena's slender eyebrows shot up her forehead 'there's a story? Why – what – how come I haven't heard of it?'

'Its just a story…most people haven't heard of it…its possible that the Priestesses didn't see any reason to tell you. I only heard it though my family, the story was passed down over generations simply because my family has always loved stories. Its been altered slightly over time so the one I told her might not have been accurate'

'So that still doesn't explain how she knows the exact location of the ruins though does it' said Jason

For Helena all the sounds around her suddenly faded and a very familiar voice spoke in her head _'Helena?'_

She blinked and held up her hand for silence _'Morgause?'_

'_Yes, its me'_

'_Its good to hear from you again'_

'_Same here. Look I'm sorry that Merlin and I left its just that we–'_

'_You were worried about Morgana and you couldn't wait and you wanted to keep Arthur and Lancelot and me and everyone else out of danger am I right?'_

'_Well yeah'_

'_Its fine Morgause I understand…I would have done the same thing I'd I had been in a better condition'_

'_Helena listen Merlin and I just found out why Nimueh is here using these ruins'_

'_From Eleanor?'_

'_Yeah…how'd you know?'_

'_Long story, look I'm sorry I didn't tell you'_

'_Its fine, it makes a lot of sense it was just a bit of a shock…listen' _she quickly explained what Eleanor had told her and Merlin _'at the right time of day she is going to take our power unless we can stop her' _finished Morgause

After she had finished Helena said _'well that explains what she's still doing in Camelot…oh Morgause listen; Nimueh knows that you and Morgana are pregnant'_

'_What? How is that possible? Merlin doesn't even know'_

'_Morgana contacted Arthur last night; Nimueh found out. Don't you think that you need some help now?'_

'_Definitely–' _suddenly Helena couldn't here Morgause, just an empty silence

'_Morgause?' _there was no reply

'Damn' muttered Helena opening her eyes to find that everyone was looking at her

'Who was it?' asked Jason curiously

'Morgause' replied Helena glancing at Lancelot slightly 'she told me why Nimueh is at these ruins' she repeated the story Morgause had told her 'she heard it from Eleanor who heard it from you I'm guessing. We were cut off' she turned to Armis with raised eyebrows

Armis nodded 'I didn't tell her where the ruins are though, that I myself don't know'

'Is there anyway of finding her?' asked Lancelot

Helena nodded 'of course. Have you ever heard of the connection between a mother and her daughter? Well when the mother or the child has magic then that connection is magnified to the point where they can find each other if they want to'

'How long do you think it will take to find her?' asked Arthur

'Not long hopefully, its just a matter of whether of not we can get to her, Merlin and Morgause before they get to the ruins' Helena closed her eyes and concentrated on her daughter picturing her finely carved face and her big beautiful eyes. After a moment she opened her eyes 'I found her, they're almost at the ruins from what I could tell'

'Couldn't you contact her?' asked Jason

'No they must have entered the boundary that Nimueh set up to stop them from contacting anyone' replied Helena

'Lets hurry then, Merlin and Morgause stand more chance against Nimueh if we're all there to help'

* * *

'What's wrong?' asked Merlin anxiously supporting Morgause by her shoulders. Morgause had been contacting Helena when she had suddenly clutched her head, much the like the time Nimueh had invaded her mind.

Morgause shook her head to clear it and groaned 'we must have entered some sort of force field that prevents you from contacting anyone. And it gives you a massive headache if your in the middle of contacting someone' she shook her head again and blinked

'So what did Helena say?' asked Merlin

'She didn't get much time to say anything, I told her about the story Eleanor told us' she nodded at Eleanor who was sitting on a rock not far above them waiting for them 'and she told me that Nimueh–' Morgause stopped remembering that Merlin didn't know what Nimueh now did 'err… she started to tell me about something that Nimueh knew but we were cut off'

Merlin bit his lip 'so she told you that Nimueh knew something but she didn't have time to tell you what'

Morgause nodded her head vigorously 'we were cut off before she did'

Merlin frowned 'your sure? Because we're going to have to be very careful other wise'

'Yes I'm sure, we were cut off' replied Morgause not making eye contact with him

Merlin frowned at her 'why do you keep repeating that?'

'Repeating what?' asked Morgause innocently

'Why do you keep saying that you were cut off?' asked Merlin clearly getting suspicious

'Because we were' Morgause turned away and began walking towards Eleanor when Merlin grabbed her arm

'Morgause, what's going on? What aren't you telling me?' asked Merlin seriously

'Nothing Merlin honestly' replied Morgause still avoiding his eyes.

As she turned away again Merlin narrowed his eyes slightly then whispered a spell under his breath. He then stepped forward to walk beside Morgause as Eleanor leapt down from the rock to join them 'did you speak to my mother?' asked Eleanor eagerly

'Yes I did' replied Morgause smiling down at her young cousin

'What did she say?' asked Eleanor slipping her small hand into her aunt's

'They were cut off before much could be said' said Merlin with a smile 'weren't you Morgause?'

'No actually she had time to tell me that Nimueh knows I'm pregnant–' Morgause clamped her mouth shut and slapped her other hand over her mouth and glared in silent indignation at Merlin who was staring at her with his mouth open

'You're pregnant!' shouted Merlin 'what – how – does Lancelot know?'

Morgause continued to glare angrily at Merlin but shook her head 'he doesn't? Why haven't you told him?'

Morgause narrowed her eyes _'why do you think?' _she asked in his head

'_Err… was it because in case something happens to you and Lancelot had to deal with both your deaths?'_

'_Good guess' _

'_Why didn't you want me to know?'_

'_Because Nimueh found out through_–_'_ Morgause withdrew from Merlin's mind before she could finish the sentence

Merlin narrowed his eyes slightly clearly trying to understand what Morgause was hiding. Meanwhile Eleanor was looking back and forth between them frowning slightly 'would you too mind having this conversation out loud? I feel kind of cut off'

Morgause slowly opened her mouth 'Merlin has placed a spell on me that means I have to answer his questions truthfully' she clamped her mouth shut again as Merlin opened his mouth

Eleanor frowned and turned to Merlin 'why did you do that?' she asked staring at him with those big innocent eyes

'Because she is hiding something about Nimueh and for some reason she is desperate not to tell me. You're pregnant congratulations, but why hide that from me?' Merlin continued to frown at Morgause

Eleanor sighed 'Merlin remove the spell'

Merlin glanced at her determined small face then sighed and removed the spell; Eleanor really did look like her mother when she did that.

Eleanor glanced at Morgause slightly then said 'now can we move on? We're not far away from the ruins and you two better quieten down unless you want to alert the whole mountain to our presence here' she glared disapprovingly at them with wide emerald green eyes and with such an adorable frown on her small face that they both smiled and nodded in agreement.

They continued on their way in silence with Eleanor leading the way until Merlin leaned towards Morgause slightly and whispered 'I'm sorry for putting that spell on you'

Morgause smiled slightly 'that's alright just don't do it again' she finished warningly

Merlin opened his mouth when they suddenly heard voices from up ahead 'Eleanor!' hissed Morgause. Eleanor came running to their side and crouched down beside them 'where is that coming from?' whispered Morgause

Merlin nodded to a bend in the path blocked from view by huge rocks. Slowly the trio of magicians moved forward and peered around the rock. What they saw was the last thing they expected; Arthur and his knights along with Helena and a man that Morgause and Merlin didn't know were pulling themselves off the ground as if they had all fallen down.

They were so shocked that for a moment neither Morgause nor Merlin moved when there was a loud squeal from Morgause's right and Eleanor hurtled herself towards the group. The knights all drew their swords at the sound and looked around wildly. Eleanor dogged between them and literally threw herself at her mother. Helena was knocked over by the force of her daughters hug and landed heavily flat on her back with Eleanor on top of her. She laughed and whispered something in her ear, which made Eleanor giggle.

Merlin and Morgause moved forward, relieved smiles on their faces and were quickly surrounded by their friends. Lancelot scooped Morgause up into a hug and Merlin was winded by Arthur's very enthusiastic pat on the back. Helena moved forward with the man, Eleanor positioned on her hip and gave Morgause a one armed hug 'hello you two, its been a while'

Morgause smiled, Lancelot slipping an arm around her waist, 'how did you find us so quickly?'

Helena smiled 'ever heard of the bond between a mother and daughter? Lets just say that it's a lot stronger when one or both of them has magic' she brushed Eleanor's hair out of her face with a smile

Merlin was eyeing the handsome man standing slightly behind Helena, as at ease with the knights around him as if he had known them for years, smiling at this family scene. Helena must have noticed his gaze for she smiled and said 'Merlin, Morgause this is Jason my husband'

Morgause and Merlin shook hands with him smiling though neither of them looked in the least surprised. 'Err… doesn't that surprise you, that's Helena's married?' asked Arthur sceptically

'Not really' replied Morgause 'we all ready found out that Eleanor was Helena's daughter so naturally she had to have a father. Also when we were on our way here I had a vision that showed Helena placing a protection on the village and Jason was in that vision. Besides Jason and Eleanor bare resemblances'

Once the introductions were through with the company continued on their way towards the ruins, each of them relieved to finally have found each other, each of them feeling a strange sense of security now that they had.

Arthur glanced at Morgause who was walking beside him and asked 'did Helena tell you that Morgana contacted me?'

Morgause nodded 'it was a relief to know she's all right. At least we know that she hasn't been hurt yet' her voice wavered slightly as she considered the alternative

Lancelot, walking on the other side of Morgause, entwined his fingers in hers silently trying to reassure her.

They had been walking for only several minutes when Merlin, who had gone ahead without anyone noticing, came running back. Stopping before them he said 'we've got a problem'

Frowns creasing everyone's foreheads they followed Merlin down the path and around a bend before finding them face to face with the 'problem'.

Blocking their path was a wall of sheer rock that towered into the sky. Its black smooth surface was slopped at an angle that made it impossible to climb and though they could easily see the top there was no way of getting past it.

Lancelot raised his eyebrows 'looks like we found the ruins' his companions nodded all of them thinking that nothing else could be behind the wall.

Gawain through up his hands 'great, just great, how are we meant to get past that?' he said in exasperation.

Merlin, Morgause, Helena and Jason all turned to look at him their eyebrows raised in scepticism. Gawain stared at them for a moment then flushed and stuttered 'oh…right…err' several people laughed and Arthur gave him an amused look 'what? I'm still not used to it' said Gawain defensively

Helena stretched out her hands and linked them with Jason's and Morgause's and Morgause took Merlin's. There was a pause then their eyes all glowed an identical gold and they rose up slowly into the air. Arthur and his knights blanched visibly at this as it was a feet of magic they had never seen before. A second later they all looked completely freaked out as they rose slowly off the ground to join the magicians in the air. And then they soured slowly upwards. Arthur was surprised at the feeling of exhilaration the feeling of flying gave him and barely managed to suppress a whoop of excitement.

When they cleared the top of the wall the four magicians set them all slowly down on the top of the wall, which was much wider than it looked from below, and once their feet were firmly on the ground again they took in the astonishing scene in front of them.

There on a flat plane on the mountain were the ruins they had travelled so far to find. Merlin observing them concluded that they had to be centuries older than those on the Isle of the Blessed, or at least they had been in ruin far longer. Though from what he could tell they had probably been just as grand; here and there were the remains of tall carved pillars, the walls of the crumbling building were covered in moss and ivy and parts of the roof had fallen in several places. However the place radiated an aura of mystery and power mixed with a bone chilling sense of unease and Merlin could easily believe that people had died here.

Merlin glanced around at the others, who were all gazing at the scene in thoughtful silence, and his eyes fell on Eleanor standing beside him, facing back the way they had come. And then he froze.

Eleanor's small mouth was parted slightly in shock or fear and her eyes were wide in an expression of terror. The sound that escaped from Eleanor's moth was something like a whimper. Her eyes were trained on something on the other side of the wall and for a second Merlin remembered Morgana's dream, of this exact same moment before they had known whom she was.

Merlin turned sharply the minute he recovered himself and glancing down to the ground he caught a brief impression of a huge, red-eyed creature rushing up towards him from the ground. Before he could do more than open his mouth, a warning on the tip of his tongue, the creature collided heavily with him, the force of the blow carrying him off the wall. With the snarling creature on top of him Merlin heard Eleanor utter a terrified scream as he rushed towards the ground.

* * *

**_so what do you think? i hope this makes up for the delay! _**

**_please please please review! :D_**


	16. Pain and Power

_**hello my wonderful readers! Can you accept my apoligise and forgive me for the amount of time it has taken me to update? can you find it in your hearts to continue reading my story after having to wait for over a month?**_

_**there is a question i would like to put to you, i am trying to think of some good names for Merlin and Morgana's kid and Lancelot and Morgause's and i would like to ask you: what do you think some good names would be? please let me know!  
**_

_**so if you can forgive me for the length of time it has taken me to update, if you will, please read this chapter...  
**_

* * *

_**Chapter 15 ~ Pain and Power**_

It was Merlin's instinctive ability to move objects with his mind that saved him. As he fell, with the creature snarling in his ear and digging its claws into his side, his eyes glowed and the speed at which they were falling slowed, so that when they hit the ground it simply felt as if he had landed normally the same way you would if you were tripped over. The moment his back hit the ground his legs shot out and hit the creature in the chest, sending it flying over his head. When he felt its weight leave his chest he rolled over coming up into a crouch, spurred by an instinct he didn't know he had. However the moment his eyes fell on the creature facing him he froze, pure fear turning his blood cold. It was crouching only a couple of meters away from him, it didn't look terrifying; it resembled almost exactly a lion, yet protruding from it shoulder blades were long wings, very much like the wings of an eagle. Its face was scrunched up and its lips were pulled back from its long pointed teeth in a ferocious, warning snarl. In fact the creature itself wasn't that terrifying yet for some reason Merlin's stomach was twisted in knots, his skin had turned cold and clammy and he was shaking from head to toe.

It growled low and deep in its throat, at the same time taking a graceful step forward, its dark wings rising up into the air, the breeze they caused cooling his sweaty face. It wasn't hard to guess what the gesture meant. Merlin swallowed past the lump in his throat and raised his hands in front of him, palms down so that it could see that there was nothing in them. Then he slowly raised his foot and took a step backwards. He was rewarded with a sharp pain in his leg that lanced up his side and through his rib cage, so suddenly that he felt he was going to be sick and he was unable to stop the cry of pain that escaped its mouth. Immediately the creature snarled, its ears flattening on its skull as it leapt forward, propelling itself up into the air with its wings. Merlin found himself unable to move, he felt that the churning sensations in his stomach were keeping him paralysed in place, he could only watch as the creature descended down towards him. Just when he thought it was going to hit him it jerked sideways with a howl before crashing to the ground, the hilt of what looked like a knife embedded in its side. Arthur landed next to him in a crouch 'come on Merlin move!' he shouted

Arthur's voice finally seemed to get through to him and he jerked into a standing position, only to have the sharp pain force him back to his knees with a groan. Arthur bent down next to him in concern and glanced at Merlin's side, where a dark stain was spreading across his shirt. Merlin grimaced 'I think it bit me'

Arthur opened his mouth to reply when a low furious snarl sounded from their right. Both turned in time to be hit head on by the creature as it launched itself at them. Both landed on their backs pined underneath the creature, its claws digging into their sides. Arthur struggled and kicked out at the creature, which raked its claws sharply across his chest in return, causing Arthur to yell sharply. They could feel the creature's hot breath on their faces, as it lowered its snarling face towards them, its jaws opening to expose its long sharp fangs. Then suddenly a voice spoke 'now now my pets, I think we've played with them enough'

Merlin's head whipped around _Nimueh _he thought; there was no doubting that voice even if it did sound amused. The creature snarled in his face once then abruptly released them and stepped backwards. Merlin and Arthur sat up and looked around, as more of the creatures joined the one that had attacked them; there must have been at least a dozen of them, and maybe more.

Merlin looked around wildly for Nimueh but he couldn't see her anywhere 'where is she?' he hissed, glancing at Arthur. Arthur wasn't paying him any attention; he was looking back over his shoulder at the rest of the group, who were approaching them, keeping their eyes fixed on the prowling creatures, who now didn't seem to be paying them any notice. Merlin felt a rush of guilt as he realised that he had completely forgotten them as soon as he had seen the creatures and turned towards them too, anxiously trying to see whether any of them had been hurt.

None of them seemed to have any serious injuries, they all looked a bit bruised some of them seemed to have several cuts. Their faces were all tight, however and Merlin began to realise that he wasn't the only person who had been terrified. Glancing over at the creatures Merlin wondered why they didn't seem so frightening now. Merlin glanced down at himself, at the stain that was still spreading over his side, and grimaced 'is anyone hurt?' asked Arthur, looking from one to the other, his eyes sweeping over his family and his knights, equal concern in his eyes.

'Not badly' said Morgause and everyone else shook their heads. Merlin glanced at Morgause and blinked; blood covered one side of her face, seeping slowly from a jagged cut a just below her hairline. Morgause saw that he was staring at her and smiled, reaching her hand up to touch the gash 'its just a cut' she frowned in concern, her soft brown eyes lingering on the dark stain across his ribs 'are you alright?'

Merlin nodded, waving her concern away and turned to Helena, who was bending down next to Eleanor and talking to her softly, her face hidden in her daughter's hair. Eleanor's eyes were wide with an expression of lingering fear and Merlin realised that the fear those creatures had created had had a greater effect on her then on anyone else. Jason was standing over them, a hand on his daughter's head, his eyes still fixed on the creatures. 'What are those things?' asked Merlin, trying to keep his voice steady

Helena glanced up at him and stood, gripping Eleanor's small hand in her own 'Fliegen' she stated, pronouncing the word flea-e-gen

Arthur frowned at her 'come again?' His top was pulled up to expose his muscular chest and the claw marks the creature had gouged across it. Morgause was lightly tracing the wounds with her finger, the tip of which was glowing, leaving behind a glowing silvery substance where she touched him. When she removed her finger his wounds continued to glow for a moment, before vanishing all together.

Helena smiled tightly 'Fliegen, creatures of the Old Religion. They've inhabited this mountain for hundreds of years' she glanced at the creatures that were watching them all 'they usually stay on the other side of the mountain though, so I didn't think we needed to worry about them'

'The innkeeper at your village told us that they'd been seen on this side of the mountain since around the time Nimueh took up residents here' said Morgause, who was examining Merlin's side critically, despite the protests of her brother-in-law

Lancelot glanced around 'why did... I mean… how come we all felt the way we did?'

'Fliegen are a very old race and like most of the creatures of the Old Religion they do have some magical abilities…they can cast an aura around things and places and induce certain emotions – which in our cases was fear' Helena looked around 'what called them off?'

'Nimueh' said Merlin, turning around and scanning the area 'but I don't know where she is' he turned towards the ruins, which were still several metres away and narrowed his eyes, peering among the columns.

Morgause glanced around and shivered 'I don't like this place' she said quietly

Arthur glanced at her smiled and said teasingly 'why to scary?'

Morgause didn't smile, as her eyes swept over the silent ruins 'no this place just… it feels wrong some how… its full of –' she paused, searching for the right word.

'Memories' said Eleanor quietly, looking up at her aunt

Morgause glanced down at her in slight surprise, for that had been the very word she was going to use, when Lancelot stiffened beside her. She glanced at him and saw that he, along with Arthur and all the other knights had draws their swords. She and Merlin both turned to follow their fixed gazes and tensed when their eyes fell on a figure standing in the shadows cast by the towering columns. Merlin glanced at Morgause, his dark blue eyes meeting her soft brown, and gazed at her in a silent understanding. He clenched his jaw in determination and turned his gaze back to the shadows.

* * *

Morgana bit her lip and strained her ears against the silence that seemed to press against her ears. She felt helpless, with her eyes blinded by the scratchy cloth tied over them, and the barriers against her mind that prevented her from reaching out. Against her straining ears her breathing seemed far to loud, along with the frantic beating of her heart. She felt cast adrift on the darkness and silence, only the firm stone beneath her feet reassuring her that she wasn't floating in a void of emptiness. Well almost the only thing. The sharp point of the knife pressing against the lower part of her stomach was a painful reminder that she wasn't alone in the world, a painful reminder of what would happen if she made any attempt to pull the blindfold away or tried to run, a painful reminder of the not-so-innocent young boy on the other end of that knife.

It had been only a few minutes ago that Nimueh had woken her from a fitful sleep and tied the cloth over her eyes. She had told her that she wasn't to make a sound and to do exactly as she was instructed or, as Nimueh had so simply put it _'yours wont be the only life lost'_. She had then been led, with Mordred pressing a knife against her stomach, out of the cave and walked around for a while, Nimueh's vice like grip on her arm the only thing stopping her from falling flat on her face more than one time, until they had stopped where ever she was now. She had the vague suspicion that Nimueh had also done something to impair her hearing, as it seemed unnaturally quiet.

She was still standing there now, her nerves on edge, waiting for what ever was going to happen next. Suddenly she heard something, faint at first then getting clearer and louder until she could here the words properly '– to see you both again its been too long' it was Nimueh speaking in that annoying half sweet, half threatening tone that had grated on Morgana's ears over the last few days

'On the contrary Nimueh, its far too soon' Morgana's breath caught _Merlin_ she knew that voice far too well to be mistaken. She half started forward, but instantly felt the knife sting her skin, enough to make her freeze.

'I must say you brought quite a force with you' Morgana half frowned; last time she had spoken to Arthur he had said that Merlin and Morgause were travelling alone

'We expected you to have enslaved some creature to do your bidding, though I think we were expecting the half dead creatures we encountered last time' _Arthur_ Morgana felt half relieved and half fearful to know that her half brother was there…yet really what could his knights do against a woman who had probably watched them all the way here.

'They served their purpose, the Fliegen are quite easy to control if you know how. I expected better of you than to bring more people into a battle they cant win… especially children' children? What was Nimueh talking about?

'Nimueh, where is Morgana?' _Morgause, _Morgana had to fight the urge to call out her sister's name.

'You know you and your sister are so alike, she asked me that very same question before. But I wont let the suspense kill you before I've had my fun. Mordred.' Morgana felt Mordred jerk her forward by the arm sharply and allowed him to lead her forward, feeling the ground beneath her feet change from hard stone to firm earth.

As she stepped out away from the stones she heard several people gasp and heard Merlin, Morgause and Arthur call her name. She longed to call back, to let them know that she was all right, but the sharp pressure on her stomach caused her to keep her mouth shut.

She heard Nimueh laugh, then footsteps and someone's fingertips at her temple before the blindfold was removed from her face. She blinked rapidly against the sudden light, before taking in the scene.

Nimueh was standing next to her a satisfied smirk on her deceivingly young face and Mordred was standing on the other side of her, the knife clenched firmly in his hand. Then she saw her family and friends standing in a group not far away. And as she took them in, Merlin's anxious relieved expression, his dark blue eyes, Morgause's golden long hair, her large soft brown worried eyes, Arthur's fair head, anxious gaze and clenched jaw, Lancelot's angry glare at Nimueh and Helena's emerald green concerned gaze, a gaze she had never thought she would see again, she suddenly felt tears spring to her eyes. She hadn't realised until that moment how much she had missed them, the familiar loving faces she knew so well. And she also hadn't realise until this moment how much she had hoped that they had just forgotten about her, just let her go, that they hadn't been stupid enough to believe that there was anything they could have done to save her.

And it was only then, through half blurred eyes that she saw that they were hurt, realised that this scene was one she had seen before. The side of Morgause's face was covered in blood and as she watched her gaze became horrified and her mouth opened as she silently screamed Morgana's name, as she stared at the knife pointing at her sisters stomach, as she realised why Morgana hadn't moved a muscle since seeing them. Merlin was clutching his side, his face was bruised and a line of blood falling from the corner of his mouth. Beneath the relief and worry he wore a pained expression and he looked exhausted. Morgana swallowed, remembering her dream…realising as she glanced at Arthur, that not everything she had seen in her dream had happened yet.

Nimueh smiled suddenly and she said 'Helena, I'm surprised that you brought the rest of your family along, I wouldn't have thought that you would risk your daughter, especially as you didn't tell the others about her'

Morgana frowned and looked over at Helena and her eyes drifted to a man standing next to her. He was tall, tanned, lean and muscular, with a roguishly handsome face, tousled chocolate brown hair and deep blue eyes that were fixed on Nimueh with a murderous stare. She had never seen him before in her life and she wondered what Nimueh meant by _'the rest of your family'_. As she was wondering her gaze was distracted by a movement between Helena and the man and when she looked she suddenly found herself staring at a young girl with long chocolate brown hair whose eyes and face were almost identical to Helena's. Her gaze swivelled between Helena, the man and the girl rapidly Nimueh's words ringing through her head _'your daughter as you didn't tell the other's about her'_. Her eyes widened in realisation.

Helena shot her an apologetic look then said to Nimueh 'I suppose that's your way of saying that you're annoyed at your self for not knowing anything about me'

Nimueh's expression flickered and Morgana suppressed a smile at her obvious annoyance. Nimueh's expression became controlled again and she said, all most pleasantly 'I want to speak to her' she sounded so much like a child asking for a treat that for a second Morgana didn't detect the dangerous tone in her voice.

Helena stiffened and snarled, glaring at Nimueh with such a hateful look that Morgana flinched despite herself. The man beside Helena clenched his jaw and half stepped in front of his daughter. Merlin and Morgause clenched their fists and glanced at each other as the knights tightened their circle and levelled their swords at Nimueh. Nimueh sighed and clicked her fingers. Immediately the dead silence that seemed to hang like a cloud over the ruins was broken by a commotion of snarls and roars as dozens of creatures slinked forward out of the shadows. Morgana gasped in shock as her eyes took in the winged lions prowling towards them, from the ruins, over the hilly ground and winging their way through the air. There were several dozens of them and more lurking in the shadows. A wave of fear hit Morgana and she shivered. The next second the ground shook as two huge creatures landed on either side of her, Mordred and Nimueh slightly behind them. Morgana glanced over her shoulder and saw the same two gargoyles that had descended on Camelot.

Nimueh smiled 'I just want to talk to her, we can do this the easy way or the hard way'

All the knights were facing out wards now and it was clear that from a signal from Arthur they would fight despite the odds. Helena glanced at the man beside her and they exchanged a glance that Morgana couldn't decipher. Then with a sigh Helena bent down beside the girl and whispered something quietly in her ear. Morgana stared; now that their faces were level the resemblance was shocking. Helena stood up again, and with a half glance behind her, the young girl began to move forward. The eyes of the group watched her anxiously as she crossed the turf towards a very satisfied looking Nimueh.

When she was only a few steps away she glanced at Morgana, her eyes flicking from the boy standing beside her with the knife pressed against her stomach, before travelling up to meet Morgana's. Morgana stared, suddenly realising that this was the girl from her dream.

Nimueh smiled at the girl, who stopped when she was less than a foot away from her and bent down so that she was at eye level with her and said, in probably the most friendly voice Morgana had ever heard her use, 'hello, my names Nimueh, what's your's?'

The young girl gazed at Nimueh with huge innocent emerald green eyes flecked with blue and said, in a high clear musical voice, 'Eleanor'

Nimueh smiled 'and how old are you Eleanor?'

'Five' said Eleanor continuing to gaze at her and Morgana suddenly realised that despite the fact that Eleanor was standing in front of probably the most dangerous sorceress of all time she wasn't scared.

Nimueh tilted her head slightly her eyes moving slowly over the younger girl with an air of some one examining a tasty treat 'are you a Seer Eleanor?' she asked quietly

Eleanor blinked and it was clear from her expression that she thought the question was an odd one 'yes… why?'

Nimueh smiled again and gestured to Morgana 'do you know who this is?' Eleanor nodded and Nimueh continued 'Morgana is a Seer, a pretty powerful one at that, I was simply interested to see whether it ran in the family'

Eleanor looked at Morgana staring at Mordred for a moment before saying to Nimueh 'why is he hurting her?'

Nimueh glanced again at Morgana and smiled 'I simply don't want her to run off'

Eleanor glanced at the knife and raised her eyebrows into an adorable expression 'is he holding the knife there for a reason or because he's to short to reach her neck?' Nimueh stared at her for a moment, while Mordred glared and Morgana smirked, then burst out laughing. Eleanor gazed at her with a certain disdain before asking 'what do you want?' most people asking that question would have sounded rude, Eleanor simply sounded curious

Nimueh smiled and for a second Morgana caught a glimpse of a deranged look in Nimueh's eyes. But then it was gone and Nimueh said 'you see, Morgana, Morgause and Merlin's magic is very powerful, more powerful than one ever seen in this world before. Now this power by right doesn't belong to them, by right it belongs to the Priestesses of the Old Religion and of them only the most powerful. So as I am the most powerful among them then by right that power is mine.' Nimueh paused 'I am here to use certain…artefacts to take that power for my own'

Eleanor stared at her 'it'll never work' there was so much conviction in her voice that Morgana almost believed her

Nimueh laughed 'and what makes you say that?' her voice no longer carried that false sweet tone, it sounded threatening and dangerous

Eleanor clenched her jaw in defiance but when Mordred pushed the knife harder against Morgana's stomach she said hastily 'I've seen it'

Nimueh stared at her then suddenly launched forwards, her hands extended to touch Eleanor on the forehead. Eleanor seemed to react just as fast. She jerked away from Nimueh, taking several hurried steps backwards and her eyes glowed. Morgana had often heard people say that at a young age magic can simply burst out of you without your control, and that was what happened to Eleanor.

Nimueh stopped suddenly; her hands mere inches from Eleanor's chest then went flying backwards a look of complete astonishment on her face. Morgana suddenly felt the blade removed from her stomach as Mordred half turned to watch his ally fly through the air. Seizing her chance Morgana grabbed Mordred by the wrist, in a grip she had used fighting Arthur when she was younger, and twisted it catching the knife by the handle as it fell and twirling Mordred around holding the knife to his chest. There was a roaring in her ears and she couldn't hear anything.

Mordred looked down at the knife pressed against his chest then looked up at her 'Morgana, you wouldn't' he sounded pleading, innocent and Morgana flinched slightly because he looked exactly like he had when she had helped him in Camelot so long ago.

She gritted her teeth _he will grow up to kill Arthur, its his destiny_ she told her self grimly trying to look pass the innocent expression _he's just a boy! _Shouted another voice in her head _he's going to kill Arthur, destroy Albion, you can prevent that now!_ Argued the first _not so long ago you helped him, you sacrificed things for him, you had a bond with him and now you're going to kill him? A helpless little boy!_ Her hand trembled and her grip loosened as the realisation hit her that she couldn't do it; she wouldn't be responsible for the death of a child.

Mordred suddenly smiled and Morgana went flying through the air and landed among the ruins, skidding across the old worn stone and slamming her head hard against one of the columns.

* * *

Morgause pulled Morgana up onto her lap and shook her gently 'Morgana? Morgana please wake up' she spoke quietly with barely disguised worry in her voice.

Morgause glanced up at Merlin who was pacing the room anxiously examining the walls and floor for any sign of how Nimueh had got them into the room. The room bore signs of old grandeur; it was large with old carvings etched into the walls and columns supporting the remains of the roof. In the centre of the room was a raised platform and on the floor of the platform was a large circle of glass covered, as was the rest of the room, in dust, rubble and ivy and the around edge of which was a number of runes worn but still visible.

Merlin sighed and walked over to the two women and knelt down beside Morgana gently caressing his wife's cheek 'how is she?'

Morgause smiled slightly 'she's just unconscious' she looked around 'still no sign of any way out of here?'

Merlin sighed and shook his head 'there is some kind of ward around the room so we cant get out of the holes in the walls or roof… and these symbols Nimueh put on us mean that we cant use our magic' he gestured to the carefully inscribed symbol on the back of his hand.

Morgause nodded and looked around 'what do you think is taking her so long?'

'She's probably making sure that the others cant escape while she deals with us' he shuddered remembering the way Nimueh had stood on the hill and raised her arms to the sky, tilting her head back as lightning flashed around her. She had laughed when they had all frozen realising how stupid it would have been to try any thing, as she could have blasted them to bits. And as soon as Mordred had threatened Morgana again the entire company had given up and Morgause and Merlin had willingly followed her instructions.

'You don't think she'll hurt them do you?' asked Morgause anxiously straining her ears to hear any sound from outside, thinking of her friends and family, especially Lancelot.

Merlin shook his head 'somehow I don't think so, its us she wants and I'm assuming that she'll want to take our power as soon as possible' his voice was firm and it reassured Morgause some what

'That was a close call with Eleanor though' said Morgause thinking of the way Nimueh had lunged for her niece with that deranged frighting expression in her eyes

Merlin nodded then in the pause that followed said thoughtfully 'You know something; all of Morgana's visions have come to pass now' he glanced at Morgause who was looking around with some nervousness 'what?' he frowned

'This place gives me the creeps, something happened here that's left a stain on this place…its full of memories' she shivered

Merlin gently took Morgana from her and gazing down at her said 'what do you think she meant?'

Morgause frowned 'meant by what?' she stood up and began to walk around hugging her self in an attempt to rid her self of the chill seeping into her skin and bones

Merlin stroked Morgana's high cheek bones with a finger so glad to finally be able to hold her again 'when we were on the battle field before she was taken we were trying to figure out what the trigger for our powers was and she said that she had an idea what it was'

'I don't know…Merlin have you ever used your powers in a way that you never had before? Like if something happened and you reacted in a way you never had before?' Morgause was bending down on the platform examining the runes carved around the edge of the glass, which on closer inspection turned out to be a huge flawless diamond.

Merlin hesitated then said 'when I killed Nimueh… she had just killed Gaius because of a stupid mistake I made and I fought her…she should have killed me but… when I stood up and faced her again I felt like there was some power running through my veins like a boiling fire…maybe that's it'

Morgause glanced over at him a thoughtful expression on her face 'how did you kill her?'

Merlin shrugged his shoulders 'I manipulated a storm and struck her with lightning'

Morgause raised her eye brows 'that's pretty impressive magic' she frowned again at the runes and stretched out a hand to point at it 'what do you suppose this means?' as she spoke her finger tips brushed the runes and suddenly her vision went completely white and Merlin's reply was cut off as she was pulled into a vision that wasn't her own.

_She was standing in a large decorated room, not the one where she was at this moment, lined with bookshelves and tapestries depicting what looked like the rising of a great king. There was a woman sitting at a desk beneath a tapestry embroidered with a picture of a rearing lion. Her head was bent over something she was writing and dark hair fell forward to cover her face. Footsteps approached and another woman entered the room wearing a floor length plain white dress, enhancing the golden hair that cascaded down her shoulders. She stopped at the table and looked down at the other woman with piercing blue eyes and placed a long fingered hand on her shoulder 'Elena' her voice was clear and musical yet deeper than most women's_

_The other woman lifted electric blue eyes that mirrored Nimueh's own, 'its still the same' she sounded desperate and Morgause saw dark bags under her eyes and hollows beneath her cheekbones._

_The tall woman dressed in white sighed and said 'you can not change actions that will be made by a woman who will be born hundreds of years in the future' she gently squeezed the other woman's shoulder 'it doesn't matter that she will be related to you'_

_Elena sighed 'she will single handily destroy a kingdom that should stand for decades—'_

'_Not if the prophecy is fulfilled' interrupted the other woman 'not if the youngest le Fay chooses the right path.'_

_There was a pause for a moment then Elena said 'this power they have…you told me that it wasn't three single powers but rather one split among three people…why is that?'_

'_Because that power is so great that no one person could posses it without it destroying them. The trigger is the same for each of them though—'_

'_And what if for some reason they don't know what the trigger is? 'Things that are the clearest are often the things that cant be seen'. You your self told me that Rose' _

_Rose smiled 'yes I did…and in answer to your question; their experience with the Fliegen should help them to understand'_

'_The Fliegen cant induce that emotion Rose, the emotion that triggers their powers is a magic that even the wisest of us cant understand' Elena looked up at the other woman again 'how will they know?'_

_Rose stood and walked to an arched window gazing out over the mountains to the horizon 'all they have to do is to look around them. It has shaped the world, that is why it can trigger a power beyond our understanding; it can take many forms but it has shaped the world, it is what drives a man to fight for his home and his family, it is what drives someone to take revenge if they lose someone they care about, what will drive that woman to take the course of action she will, what will save Albion and what in the end will bring these three together' she turned back to Elena 'they will realise what it is, even if it is at the last minute' _

_Elena swallowed 'and if they don't?'_

_Rose sighed 'there is no other alternative…if they don't there wont be any future… ever'_

Morgause gasped and jerked her hand away from the rune as the vision faded leaving a trail of white mist in the air around her hand. Merlin and Morgana were crouching on either side of her their foreheads puckered with concern. Morgause smiled at her sister and wrapped her arms around her taking the moment in which she was embraced back to try and make sense of what she had seen. She pulled back after a moment and smiled at her younger sister wiping a single tear that had fallen down her sisters pale cheek. 'Are you all right?' she asked quietly, guessing that Morgana and Merlin must have had their reunion while she had been having her vision

Morgana smiled and nodded 'my back's a bit sore and I have a pounding headache but I'm fine… I didn't think that I would see you again'

Morgause smiled 'you can't have thought that we would just leave you?' she sounded incredulous

Morgana smiled wistfully 'I hoped that you would, I thought that you would both realise you couldn't do any thing against her… are you all right? You just spent several minutes just sitting there looking…'

'Like a statue' interjected Merlin with a slight smile, glad that he had already witnessed one of Morgause's day visions

Morgause frowned 'do you remember how I said that this place was full of memories?' Merlin nodded 'I've just realised how right I was' she stretched out her hands and touched them both on the foreheads feeling it was better to show them then to tell them.

When she had shown them the vision they both stared at her and Merlin said slowly 'so that woman, Elena, was Nimueh's ancestor?'

'Never mind that' said Morgana frowning 'they just gave us the means to access our powers. We know that its an emotion, yet one that some kind of animal can't produce—'

'Fliegen' interrupted Merlin 'those flying lions outside, they can induce certain emotions'

'Right' continued Morgana with a nod 'we know that its an emotion they cant produce and that its shaped the world, its what brought us together and the reason why Nimueh made the decisions she did…any idea what that is?'

They all sat there for a couple of minutes then Merlin shrugged 'the only thing I can think of is hope or courage but hope is a pretty easy emotion to induce and I don't think either of those drove Nimueh to do what she did'

'Lets start with that then; what first drove Nimueh to do what she's done?' asked Morgana frowning in concentration

'It probably started with Uther, when he banished her and started killing her kin' said Merlin thoughtfully

'No, no when you think about it, it started before that, Uther banished her because of what happened to Arthur's – our mother – and that happened because Uther needed an heir so he went to Nimueh and she agreed despite the risks…' Morgause frowned slightly 'guilt? Could that be it?'

They considered this 'well…' said Merlin slowly 'in some ways it could, Nimueh could have agreed to help Uther because she was friends with both him and Igraine, though Igraine more so, and felt guilty because she was lying by saying that Igraine was barren and Uther wasn't, even if it was to protect her… but I don't think that she started taking revenge on Uther because of a feeling of guilt'

There was a pause then Morgana said 'hate? Could it be hate? Uther hated people with magic and Nimueh started to hate him in return… and that could drive someone to take revenge if someone they cared about was killed'

Merlin shook his head slowly 'no, that cant be it because it wasn't hate that brought us together, and I somehow doubt that hate will save Albion'

Morgause hadn't said anything for some time but now she said, slowly as if she wasn't sure of her idea, 'what about the opposite of hate? What if its something so simple, taken so for granted that we say it to each other everyday?' she lifted her head and gazed at them both through solemn brown eyes 'what if its love?'

"Things that are the clearest are often the things that cant be seen" quoted Merlin slowly 'I think your right; that certainly would make sense for driving someone to take revenge if they lose someone they care about, its almost said in that sentence, it would work for what drives a man to fight for his home and family, because a man would obviously love his family and home, it would work for saving Albion, because its stated more than once in the prophecy for all three of us in fact, and it would make sense for what brought us together'

'Because I loved Arthur and the two of you I gave up the crown and because Morgause loved me she stayed and because she grew to love Arthur, and eventually Lancelot, you forgave her and the both of you grew to love each other, don't deny it' Morgana added when they looked slightly awkward 'and Helena loved all of us and in some ways made sure that we grew together' she finished

Merlin was nodding slowly a smile playing about his lips 'I remember when Arthur was placed under a love charm and I went to the Great Dragon to ask for an antidote the dragon said something the same as that woman, something like; 'it is an emotion that even the wisest of us cannot understand' and he told me that to break it Arthur needed to be kissed by his true love or something like that, I can't always understand his riddles. But because he was in love with Gwen and she with him when they kissed it broke the spell'

'But what about Nimueh? How did love force her to take the actions she did?' asked Morgause frowning

'Are you three talking about me?' the three of them turned and saw Nimueh standing at in front of a large hole in the wall that hadn't been there a few minutes ago. Mordred was with her, idly twirling the knife between his fingers

They glanced at each other then Morgause said 'we were wondering what drove you down this path in the first place' she knew she was taking a risk revealing to Nimueh what they were thinking 'and what you meant when you told Uther that if you had known it was Igraine who would be sacrificed you wouldn't have accepted his request' she added as an after thought

Nimueh looked rather surprised, then a shadow fell over her face, an expression of regret crossed her face, much to the surprise of the others, and she said slowly 'I accepted Uther's request to help Igraine conceive a child simply because at the time he was my friend…' she paused 'what I meant by that statement later was what I said…I loved Igraine, she and I were best friends. When she died Uther wasn't the only one grieving' she looked from one to the other as the exchanged glances and suddenly her regretful expression vanished to be replaced by a look of surprised mixed with anger 'you've all just realised what the trigger for your power is haven't you?'

They stared at her surprised when she didn't look at all worried. Beside her Mordred looked up at her frowning 'is it wise to tell them that?'

Nimueh laughed 'they cant use their powers anyway, what harm could it do to torture them with the knowledge that though they've figured it out, they cant do anything about it?' Mordred smiled gloatingly as Nimueh continued 'its rather ironic that love is the trigger, such a worthless useless emotion which can be snuffed out like a candle. All it does is to make you weak and venerable, look at what it did to Uther; it turned him into a mad raving lunatic…look what its done to the three of you' she smiled at their obvious confusion. She turned to Morgause 'you for example; you spent your entire life hating your very family, plotting against the man who had killed your father and hunted your kin. Then you met your sister, which in the end meant that you gave up the opportunity to rid the world of a lunatic simply to save her. Then in the blink of an eye you change sides, at the realisation you have a family, you fall in love with a man who, if you hadn't come along, would have been Camelot's very downfall. And when your sister is captured you race across the land to save her, foolishly I might add as you have walked right into my hands, leaving behind half your family in an attempt to save them, then later putting your aunts daughter at risk, not telling the man you _lov_e about the child growing inside you, and not telling him still when he catches up to you, for the sake of protecting him because of your _love_ for him'

Morgause stared at her, feeling shaken to the core having listened to her life being laid out brutally before her, and placed a hand on her stomach, all her guilt about not telling Lancelot rising to the surface. Morgana placed her hand over hers and glared at Nimueh as she turned to her 'and you Morgana are even worse than your sister in my opinion; for most of your life you are brought up by a man who hates your very kind. Once you realise what you are you turn against him, helping a boy who will grow up to be death of the man you were brought up with, and eventually turning against everyone who cares about you, simply to help a woman who you have never met, getting poisoned by the man you now _love_, and eventually finding out this woman is your sister. You plot and scheme, not just against Uther but also against his son, your best friend and the entire city, simply because you have seen the future and you think it gives you the right to decide peoples fates. Then when you become queen you give it all back to the brother you now claim to _love_, you try to hurt your sister to hurt me, you fall in _love_ with the man that poisoned you and tried to kill you countless times. Now you stand there with the man you _love _still refusing to tell him about the secret you're carrying in order to protect him because you _love _him'

It was Morgana's turn to feel shaken, feel like her life had been ripped apart and laid out in plain sight before her. Morgause squeezed her hand as Nimueh turned to a puzzled Merlin 'and of course the great Emrys, the savour of us all, the betrayer of his kind. Your life is pretty easy to sum up; you went to Camelot, saved Arthur many times despite his obvious dislike for you, killed all who apposed you, at the same time refusing to rid the world of a tyrant, poisoned the woman you _love_ hated her for a year afterwards then fell in _love _with her again, started to care for her sister blah blah blah. You know Merlin, you're no better than me, you've killed because you can, because you _had no choice_' she said sarcastically 'betrayed your loved ones, betrayed your kind, felt bad because up until recently no one recognised you as the one saving Arthur's life. You're selfish Merlin, a traitor to your kind, your _loved_ ones, your friends, and you've killed people because you think that being the great Emrys gives you the power to be an executioner and deicide peoples fate, instead of just invoking a few spells to keep them away forever. You're a pathetic excuse for a hero Merlin'

Merlin stared at her wanting to say something but finding that there was a lump in his throat. Nimueh's words were ringing in his ears and he felt sick because in some ways Nimueh was right. He had killed people, he had betrayed Morgana, he had felt bad when other people got the credit for his deeds, and he had never even considered invoking spells to keep people away. Nimueh smiled triumphantly at their shock and horror at her words, relishing in the power simple words had on them, and then walked towards the platform with the large crystal set into the ground. Raising her hands she chanted something that none of them cared to understand, still shocked to the core, and the dust and rubble, ivy and roots vanished leaving the room strangely bare and revealing at the same moment four other crystals set into the ancient stone, one at the top of the centre of each wall. They were smaller than the one set into the into the ground on the platform and each was a different jewel than the other; the jewel set into the wall facing north was a precious emerald, the one set into the east wall; a priceless sapphire, in the south wall was a sparkling ruby and set into the west wall was a dark purple amethyst, all were the size of an average persons head and each was inscribed with a different rune. _How is it possible for jewels to be that big? _Thought Merlin staring in astonishment at them, then the large diamond set into the floor, which was even larger.

Nimueh turned to look at them and answered his question, even though he hadn't spoken aloud 'the Priestesses of the Old Religion who built and lived here all those thousands of years ago spent a lot of their time finding numerous stones of the same kind, to fulfil a prophecy which even then was ancient, and once enough of each gem was found they were made into one by way of an ancient closely guarded alchemists spell'

Merlin stared at her but the only thing that came to mind was 'why are you telling us this?'

Nimueh shrugged and glanced up at the sun over head 'I am merely saying that this place is very old and also quite unstable so I would appreciate it if none of you tried anything stupid or heroic, which concerning the three of you means the same thing, if not for the sake of sensibility for the sake of the people so desperately depending on you outside' she craned her neck up again then walked over to them. She grabbed Morgause and Morgana by the shoulder then dragged them both painfully over to the stand side by side a metre away from the platform facing north, Merlin going over to stand on Morgana's other side. 'Stay there' she ordered turning away from them and climbing the platform moving to stand in the centre of it and glancing up at the sun again she began to chant, words that none of them had ever heard before flowing from her lips.

Merlin glanced side ways at Morgana and the two of them exchanged a look of despair at what was taking place. As Nimueh's chanting grew louder clouds gathered in the sky, all but blocking out the midday sun, thick black rolling clouds lit up occasionally by flashes of forked lightning.

Merlin's mind was racing as he desperately tried to think of a way to stop this from happening the words the Priestess had spoken ringing through his head _'if they don't there won't be a future…ever'_ when suddenly the crystals set into the walls began to glow. A strong, pulsating light radiated from them and Merlin felt something tug in his chest. He gasped in surprise and then pain as the pull became stronger. Nimueh lowered her gaze and stared at them through eyes glowing with the same golden light that radiated from the crystals and lowered her right hand, fingers splayed pointing at them, her left hand raised sharply above her head. And just as the crystal Nimueh was standing on began to glow lightning struck in the sky and at the same moment shot out of the four glowing crystals, striking the hand pointing into the sky.

But instead of blasting into a million pieces like last time Nimueh stayed completely still the lightning stabbing into her hand. Merlin was just beginning to suspect that something had gone wrong when the fingers Nimueh was pointing at them glowed and a burst of forked lightning lanced out of her hand towards them.

Merlin lost track of what happened to the others as the fork of lightning struck him in the chest, the force of the blast sending him flying backwards, his scream of pain echoed by the two women falling with him. He struck the ground hard, the lightning still flowing into his chest, and his vision went black. Then gold. He couldn't see anything except for the gold behind his lids. But he could feel. Along with the pain touching his chest and reaching deep inside him searching for the source of his power, there was something else. A humming vibration that filled him from the ground was flowing through his body and there were voices, distant hums at first before clearing suddenly to be replaced by screams. Two distinct screams of pain, both high pitched, defining his ears, yet strangely familiar. Along with the screams he suddenly became acutely aware of the pain in his body, his aching back, the pounding headache coming from the lump on the back of his head, the sharp pang lancing across his temple from the deep cut below his hair line. _I don't remember that _some part of him that wasn't in pain thought _I haven't hit my head and I don't have a cut on my face_. The moment this thought occurred to him the pain around his body faded, though the pain in his chest from the probing bolt remained, and he felt as if he was detached as if the pain was someone else's. Which, it suddenly hit him, it was. The pain on his back and head wasn't his own, just as the screams of pain in his head weren't. As the pain in his chest grew his thoughts scattered until they fixed on Morgana's face _Morgana _he thought wishing desperately that they had had more time, that they hadn't had so little time together.

Suddenly the screaming in his head creased and, to his astonishment, a shocked voice whispered _Merlin?_

_Morgana? _For a moment the roaring in his ears stopped, the turmoil in his head ceased and he felt an astonishment that matched his own

_Merlin! _Morgana sounded even more astonished than he felt. Her voice didn't sound the way it usually did when she was communicating telepathically with him, like someone was speaking in his head, but rather as though her thoughts had become his own.

_What…how is this possible? We shouldn't be able to contact each other. _She groaned again as a fresh bout of pain lanced deep into her chest

_Merlin? Morgana? _A third voice, again familiar, interrupted their conversation

_Morgause? _Merlin heard Morgana's voice combined with his own almost like an echo _what is going on? Is it because of the ceremony? _He asked them

_If it was we should be able to here Nimueh _as Morgana spoke another spasm of pain rocked him, magnified because of this 'link' to the others.

_Do you remember what Nimueh's ancestor said: 'its not three single powers but rather one power split among three people'? Maybe that also means we can share thoughts and emotions without meaning to when our power is activated, I'm assuming that that's how Nimueh is taking it. _Morgause sounded strained, struggling with her mind to stop Nimueh.

_We have to stop her! Remember what that that Priestess said at the end? If we don't stop Nimueh there wont be a future at all! _Merlin could here the desperation in his own voice and felt the two sisters emotions react to it, becoming more agitated than before, as the agony bounced over their connected minds. Merlin was trying desperately to remember the exact details of Morgause's vision, hoping for some clue, when the Priestesses voice range sharp and clear through his memory _'the power is so great that no one person could posses it without it destroying them'. _The realisation hit home with a jolt and Merlin immediately cried to the other two _are you both holding back?_

_Yes of course we have to hold her off; maybe she'll get tired _their combined thoughts sounded doubtful

_I've just had an idea, call me crazy but I think we should _let_ her take our power. The Priestess said that the power was too great for any one person to contain – maybe if we give her enough it will destroy her._

_That's all very well but to do that, to be able to control the amount of power we give her we would need to be able to control it in the first place _Morgana's thoughts were a blur of pain and distress

_We all ready know what the trigger is..._ Morgause's thoughts trailed off course to be replaced by the same pain and anguish flowing through their mental links

Trying not to let the pain over come him Merlin grimaced _exactly, all we have to do is envision how we see love_. Immediately Morgana's face popped up in front of his closed eyelids and somewhere in the back of his mind he saw his own face and Lancelot's reflected behind two other pair's of eyelids.

Concentrating hard and trying to block out the rising tide of pain Merlin focused his whole mental being on Morgana's face, her high cheek bones, red lips and beautiful green eyes. He remembered her captivating smile, the way she laughed, the way she had looked when he had asked her to marry him and the way he had felt when he had first kissed her. The electrical spark that had jolted inside him growing to a shimmering heat that had filled his whole body and made him feel invincible and alive. As he relived each moment as though he was there he became aware that the tingling heat inside him was real; coursing through his body as a hot fiery glow. Fixing Morgana's image firmly in his mind again he imagined the power inside him flowing through the lightning still connecting his chest to Nimueh's hand. He felt it flowing away from him, out of him, draining him slowly at first then more quickly as he lost control over the speed of it. Somehow though he knew that it didn't matter, that it would reach the sorceress, as the power flowing from his wife and sister-in-law would too.

The heat inside him was growing to an unbearable rate and the golden light behind his eyelids was fading, leaving an empty all consuming blackness. Taking a deep breath, Merlin forced himself to open his eyes and see what was happening. Even through the haziness that clouded his being he gasped. The room was full of golden light, radiating from the crystals, from Nimueh and from the other two kneeling on the floor. The air was ringing with a magnetic hum that was growing steadily louder and higher pitched. Staring past the crackling lightning his eyes met Nimueh's and he caught a brief glimpse of puzzlement; as if she knew that something was wrong. But then the strength left him and his eyes slid shut, just a blinding flash illuminated the room, there was a whooshing sound, like air rushing through a pipe and a second later a tremendous explosion rent the air. The force of it struck him like a full-blown gale and he felt as if he was flying, then falling, then floating in a vast empty void. The last thing that flashed in front of his eyes before the gold behind his eyelids surrendered to blackness was the image of Morgana's face.

* * *

**_have you found it in your wonderful hearts to forgive me? _**

**_again i am so sorry for the length of time it has taken for me to update_**

**_please review and let me know what you think, critisise me, praise me, whatever you like...as long as you review :)_**

**_i also have a question to ask you all, i am trying to think of some names for Morgana and Merlin's kid and Lancelot and Morgause's, so i was wondering: what do you think some good names would be? please let me know!_**

**_i can promise in advance that the next chapter will be up in a couple of days as i have already finished writing it! _**


	17. Loose Ends

_**and so, after much blood and tears, this story is nearing its end...  
**_

_**i hope you like this chapter and don't hate me for the ending...**_

_**so enjoy and please review!**_

* * *

_**Chapter 16 ~ Loose Ends**_

Was he dead? Was that why it was so dark? And if so why hadn't the pain stopped? Every bone in his body felt as if it was on fire, he felt like he had shattered into a million pieces and he felt broken and splintered.

He was vaguely aware of someone desperately shouting his name, shaking his shoulders so that his head lolled on his neck like a rag doll. He wished they would leave him alone; he just wanted to sleep, to drift into the land of dreams, and to wake up only when the pain was a long forgotten memory. _But you can't _said a voice in his head, _you won't _he groaned trying to block the voice out _you will get UP!_

'Merlin!' Merlin's eyes snapped open and immediately fixed on Arthur, who was leaning over him and screaming his name. Arthur's blonde hair had darkened and like the rest of him was soaking wet, water dripping down his nose to splatter on Merlin's face, which was already wet itself. Arthur shook him again violently 'Merlin, for gods sake, wake up!'

Merlin blinked, then said with a groan 'Arthur, that's not helping' his voice sounded horse to his own ears from all the screaming he had been doing.

Arthur stopped shaking him and felt relieved 'you had me worried for a minute Merlin'

Merlin frowned and sat up, ignoring the pain in his body as he did so, and looked around. His eyes widened in shock and he gasped; he was lying on the green plane that surrounded the ruins and the ruins themselves were situated only several yards away. But there was a dramatic change to the landscape; the previously unscathed wall of the room he had been standing in not minutes before had been blown outwards, the hole almost as large as the wall itself. Large chunks of masonry littered the ground around for at least a dozen metres, the jagged debris having been blasted apart by a tremendous force.

Jason suddenly appeared in his line of vision; his handsome face lined with worry 'are you alright Emrys?'

Merlin blinked the rain out of his eyes then nodded, ignoring his aching body, and said 'what happened?'

'We were hoping you could tell us that; we were all out here where Nimueh had left us when the sky darkened and flashes of lightning started lancing down into that room' Arthur jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the destroyed room. 'When that started the magic that was holding us in position began to lessen to the point were we could fight it' he paused 'we had just managed to break our bonds when there was a flash of golden light, the room exploded outwards and the three of you came flying out. We've been trying to wake you up for the last ten minutes'

Only one statement stuck in Merlin's mind though and he looked around, desperately looking for Morgana and Morgause, peering through the pouring rain with slightly blurred eyes. A yard or two away Eleanor was crouching next to Lancelot, who was holding a feebly stirring Morgause against his chest. Beyond them Helena was cradling Morgana in her lap, her head bent over her niece so that her saturated hair, now a dark brown, obscured Morgana's face.

Ignoring Arthur and Jason's protests, Merlin sprang to his feet and sprinted over to Helena and tumbled to his knees beside her. Helena looked up at him and he was startled to see that there was a fresh bruise on her high right cheekbone and a gash on the right side of her jaw line. Her face was soaked, rain dripping down her forehead and along her chin to land on Morgana's face.

Merlin gently took Morgana from her lap and stroked her wet face 'Morgana' he whispered relieved to feel her stir slightly 'Morgana' he repeated more firmly 'wake up'. Morgana stirred and opened her eyes and smiled when she saw him, reaching up to touch his face. Merlin leaned down and kissed her fervently, for the first time in what felt like years, and felt her slide her arm up around his neck, entwining her fingers in his waterlogged hair.

Suddenly there was an exclamation of repulsion from Helena and they both broke apart to stare at her. Helena was staring in the direction of the destroyed room a mixed expression of horror, nausea and something that could have been sorrow. Following her gaze Merlin froze in shock and heard Morgana gasp beside him. Sprawled near the edge of the ruined room was Mordred, his small prostrate body lying unmoving on the muddy grass.

After a moment, Merlin got to his feet, his hands slipping out of Morgana's, and slowly crossed the ground towards Mordred, feeling the eyes of his friends watching him. Bending down hesitantly next to the former druid boy, he turned him on to his back and recoiled. Mordred's once vibrant blue eyes stared unseeingly up at the dark clouds, a whitish glaze filmed over them. Just to be sure, Merlin pressed his fingers to the base of Mordred's neck and, feeling nothing, sat back and stared at the body of the boy who had once foreshadowed Arthur's doom, his thoughts a turmoil.

This was the boy he had once helped, tried with all his might to protect him from Uther, the boy who had first called him Emrys and the boy he had once thought was so like himself. Then he had become the boy who would grow up to kill Arthur, the boy who had managed to turn Morgana against Camelot and who had then threatened Morgana's life. In some ways Merlin was relieved that Mordred was gone, yet, at the same time, Mordred was still a boy, a child, who had had no real say in his destiny.

Merlin glanced over his shoulder at Morgana and Helena, who were still watching him with some trepidation, and nodded once. Morgana's lip trembled and she suddenly burst into tears, not just at the confirmation of the child's death, but also after the build up of stress over the last few days, at the revelation that Helena wasn't dead, of the fear that Nimueh knew she was pregnant, the guilt that Merlin didn't and the dread that everyone she loved was going to die. Helena gathered Morgana into her arms, Morgana burying her face in the crook of her neck, and rubbed her back in a slow circular motion.

Merlin glanced at the others and saw that Arthur had rounded up his knights into a tight circle around them and that Jason was hugging his daughter tightly, positioning her so that she wouldn't see Mordred, and that Lancelot and Morgause were locked in a tight embrace.

He walked over to Morgana and Helena and crouched down beside them 'you all right?' he asked Helena, indicating the bruise and scratch on her face.

Helena smiled and nodded 'a flying piece of masonry hit me, I'm fine though' she added, at Merlin's alarmed expression 'shouldn't I be asking you that? What happened in there?'

Merlin frowned slightly, as the rest of the family joined them, and then said slowly 'I think the amount of power we were giving Nimueh over loaded the crystals, Nimueh herself said they were unstable'

Helena raised her eyebrows '_giving _her? I was under the impression she was taking it'

As briefly as he could, Merlin explained what had happened to her and the others listening, Morgause occasionally adding something when he omitted a detail. 'I think that's what killed Mordred' he finished 'I remember Eleanor told us that the last people who used this place, hundreds of years ago, were killed in an explosion much like that one, when the crystals over loaded'

'And since our power is apparently greater than any other that's ever seen before, blah blah blah, it would make sense that we over loaded the already unstable crystals' summarised Morgause.

'Was your power taken?' asked Lancelot, standing next to Morgause with his arm securely around her waist. Merlin and Morgause shook their heads, knowing instinctively that they still possessed that power, and there was a muffled no from Morgana, her face still concealed in Helena's shoulder

Merlin was frowning, something, he wasn't sure what, was missing. Then suddenly his eyes widened and he spun around, his eyes darting back and forth. 'What?' asked Arthur, alarmed, drawing his sword.

'Hasn't it occurred to you that someone's' missing?' asked Merlin, glancing around before answering his own question; 'where is Nimueh?'

Immediately the whole company stiffened, on high alert and looked around, their eyes sweeping the area with the same looks of trepidation. After a moment Lancelot pointed with his free arm to the room, and following his finger the others saw a figure moving slowly into the light.

Nimueh emerged from the dust and shadows, looking quite worse for wear, her hair dishevelled and a mixture of dust and rubble coating her dress. Her electric blue eyes swept over them in a dazed way, taking in the tight circle of knights, Arthur slightly behind them his sword drawn, Jason standing over Helena, who was still cradling Morgana, Eleanor hiding behind her mother, Merlin standing beside Arthur, his hand raised in anticipation and Lancelot, standing slightly in front of Morgause in a protective way, Morgause's hand raised in readiness.

Nimueh glanced up at the pouring rain then her eyes fell on Mordred and her mouth dropped open, though in dismay or horror the friends couldn't tell. She turned back to them, her eyes flashing with a murderous anger and raised her hands to the darkened sky, her lips moving silently.

Before anyone could so much as flinch, Nimueh flung her hands at them in a sweeping gesture, the same way she had before, and they recoiled, throwing their arms up in front of their faces, as a clear, transparent shield was flung out instinctively from Helena's hand.

And nothing happened. The friends raised their heads in surprise and stared at Nimueh, who was gazing at her hands in shock. They watched as she tried again, clicking her fingers, expecting to see fire appear in her hand, and again nothing happened.

Merlin stared in shock, trying to fathom why nothing was happening, no matter how many times Nimueh tried. He glanced at Helena, who was staring with the same surprised expression as everyone else, and stretched out his mind to her asking _what's happening, why aren't the spells working?_

_I think… _Helena frowned and slowly lowered her arm, the shield lowering with it, _I think she's been stripped of her powers _she sounded incredulous

_Stripped of her powers! _Gasped Morgause in surprise _how?_

_I think that when the crystals exploded the power was returned to the three of you and because you were linked to Nimueh she lost her powers in the process…instead of stripping you of your powers, she lost her own, like the process was reversed. _

Nimueh seemed to come to the same conclusion as Helena for she suddenly let out a wild, furious scream of anger and despair. The sound was terrifying, yet at the same time Morgause felt a sudden stab of pity for the former sorceress. She couldn't imagine what it must feel like to have your magic taken from you, to be stripped of your very identity, to loose what you are, even if that had been what she was trying to do to them. Morgause felt someone take her hand and glanced down at Morgana, whose face was streaked with tears, and saw that the same expression was etched into her sister's face. Morgana pulled her self up, Helena standing with her, and turned to watch Nimueh, who had abruptly stopped screaming.

There was a minute of unnerving silence, when suddenly Nimueh sprang to her feet and launched herself at Arthur, a glint of silver in her hand. Arthur raised his sword in alarm, and Nimueh froze in midair, slamming back to the ground, vines sprouting out of the ground and entwining around her. Arthur glanced at Merlin whose hand was out stretched and smiled 'thanks' then turned back to a violently struggling Nimueh.

Arthur walked forward and placed the tip of his sword against Nimueh's collarbone, as her head and shoulders were the only parts of her not covered in vines, and Nimueh immediately stopped struggling. There was a pause then 'you have killed countless people in Camelot, and who knows where else, left me for dead, tried to kill my father, tried to kill my friends, possessed my sister, captured my other sister, tried to hurt my niece and you were responsible for the near death of my aunt…what reason is there for me to let you live?' he asked quietly

Nimueh raised her head, a scornful expression on her face, 'are you really any better Arthur? How many people have you killed to defend your city?'

Arthur blinked then said 'what I have don't is not in question here…I am debating whether to kill you here or to have you taken back to Camelot to be executed publicly…I'm sure there are many people who want to see you dead'

Nimueh's eyes met his and she gazed at him for a long time, her jaw clenched tightly. Arthur raised his sword ever so slightly and Nimueh smiled, her mouth twisting up into a grimace, 'despite everything, Arthur, I always thought you would be better than your father, more like your mother…I suppose I was wrong; your as much of a hypocrite and a liar as your father was, you can't even keep a promise you made only a month ago'

Arthur stared at, knowing exactly what she meant; he had made a promise, to give everyone with magic who had ever harmed Camelot a second chance…and if he killed Nimueh he would be breaking that promise.

He glanced over his shoulder at the others, and by the expressions on their faces he knew they understood perfectly what Nimueh was talking about. He glanced at Helena for guidance but she shrugged, her emerald green eyes reserved, and mouthed 'its your choice'

She was right, it was his choice, he could kill Nimueh and become his father, or…what was his other option? His eyes fell on Eleanor and he felt a jolt; she was gazing at Nimueh, not with anger or fear but with pity. She glanced up at him and he saw, by the expression etched clearly on her face, that that was all she felt for Nimueh; pity. She pitted Nimueh for the fact that she had been stripped of what she was, of the choices she had made and the path she had chosen. And in his mind rose the memory of what Helena had once told him _'When Uther turned on Nimueh she understood despite the fact that it was partly his fault so she let him be. But when he started to kill her people...well you saw the result today. She let her hate and sadness eat her up'_

Nimueh had made the wrong choices, she had killed and lied and hurt the people he loved but thinking of his family he realised with a jolt that in some ways they were similar. Morgause had spent her whole life hating him and his father and in plotting against them had probably killed dozens of people, Morgana had turned against her family in favour of revenge and had killed people herself. If he hadn't made the decision to talk to Morgana instead of rising up against her and Helena hadn't turned up in time to save them all it was very likely that they could have ended up the same way as Nimueh. The difference between them was that they had been given a second chance.

Making up his mind he took a deep breath and brought his sword down at a sharp angle. The vines fell away, though they still encircled Nimueh's ankles, and Nimueh looked up at him in complete surprise. Sheathing his sword Arthur said 'I am not my father Nimueh and I will uphold my oath. I am letting you go, that is your second chance, I expect you to be out of Camelot in forty-eight hours at the most and that you will never again set foot in this country with harmful intentions in mind' turning away from her he rejoined his friends and family and walked away feeling satisfied that he had done the right thing.

* * *

'You did the right thing Arthur' said Helena, glancing over at her nephew

Arthur looked up at her and smiled 'I know…I just hope she doesn't try and take some other twisted path of revenge'

He, Morgana, Merlin, Morgause and Lancelot were resting in Helena and her family's house, as they had decided they needed to recover somewhat before they returned to Camelot. They were all sprawled around the fire of the spacious room, all still coming to terms with the fact that they were actually still alive.

Helena was sitting in a chair draped with furs leaning against Jason, whose arm was around her. Across from them, Lancelot had his arms wrapped around Morgause, who, though Arthur didn't know it, was building up the nerve to tell Lancelot she was pregnant and beside them Merlin was conversing in low tows with Morgana, who still hadn't told him she was pregnant. Arthur himself, though Gwen wasn't there, wasn't alone either; Eleanor was lying in his lap, fast asleep against his chest. Though Arthur had felt slightly nervous, for fear of dropping her, when Eleanor had climbed into his lap and quickly fallen asleep, he had found her small weight surprisingly comforting and had soon grown used to it.

Helena smiled 'she won't, she doesn't have many allies in Camelot… she's already leaving as we speak'

Arthur absent-mindedly stroked Eleanor's hair 'I hope so; I don't really fancy having to fight her again. What?' he asked looking over at Merlin, who was watching him with amusement

'Oh nothing, Morgana and I were just saying that you're a natural father' he grinned

Morgause smiled as Arthur retorted and watched with some amusement as Arthur and Merlin started a banter, arguing back and forth good-naturedly. She turned to Helena then, a question that had been bothering her for a while rising to the surface 'what do we do now? About our powers I mean'

It was Jason who answered 'now that you know what the trigger is and that you have used them before it should be relatively for you to access it again'

'Though it is of course your choice to use it, and as nothing is forcing you to use it at the moment you can learn how to control and develop it in your own time' added Helena

In the pause that followed Arthur and Merlin continued to throw insults at each other. Finally gathering her nerve and steeling herself Morgause touched Lancelot lightly on the cheek to get his attention 'Lance?' she murmured

He glanced down at her 'mmm?' he tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear affectionately

She hesitated 'there's something I've been meaning to tell you…' she paused and glanced at the fire gathering the words in her mind

Lancelot placed a finger under her chin and turned her head, so that she was forced to look at him, and studied her face 'what?' he breathed

She gazed into his intensely dark eyes and whispered 'I'm pregnant'

Lancelot's eyes widened and he whispered 'how long have you known?'

'Since just before we went to fight Nimueh's army' she mumbled

He frowned, ever so slightly 'why didn't you tell me?'

'Because I thought that if I died and you had known I was pregnant…I thought that it might have broken you' she glanced away and the words rushed out of her 'I'm sorry, I know I should have told you, its just that—' her words were cut of abruptly as Lancelot's lips met hers in an intense, passionate kiss.

After a moment Lancelot pulled away and rested his forehead against hers, much the same way they had before the battle, and whispered softly 'do you remember what I said to you before the battle, before I had to leave? I said that I loved you. And I do, I always will, I don't care that you kept it from me, I just care that I can spend the rest of my life with you and our child' he rested his hand on her stomach and kissed her again murmuring past her lips '_our _child'.

Merlin smirked slightly at the sight, thinking that he could have told Morgause that Lancelot wouldn't be angry, to find that Morgana was watching him, a small frown creasing her forehead 'what?' he asked

'You don't seem at all surprised that Morgause is pregnant'

Merlin shrugged 'I found out when we were on our way to save you, before the others caught up with us… I was surprised then to say the least'

'How'd you find out?' asked Morgana in surprise, wondering what else he had found out

Merlin hesitated 'it's a long story, but basically Morgause managed to contact Helena and in the discussion that followed Helena managed to tell Morgause that Nimueh new that she was pregnant…she found out through Arthur I think, though I don't know where he heard it from. Anyway Morgause started to tell me that Nimueh knew something but then stopped and refused to tell me what it was…to cut a long story short, through a spell I found out that she was pregnant'

Morgana stared at him 'you can place truth spells on people?' she really needed to tell him before he got any ideas

Merlin nodded 'by the way, not that there was anything in it, what secret was Nimueh talking about? The one you were keeping from me because you loved me' he didn't sound angry or suspicious, merely curious

Morgana hesitated 'Nimueh found out that Morgause was pregnant through me. I was able to contact Arthur because of a loophole in her wards and he told Helena'

Merlin frowned 'how'd she find out? And what's that got to do with your secret?'

'Merlin…I'm pregnant' she glanced at his face, awaiting his reaction.

For a moment it didn't seem that Merlin had heard her, but then his jaw dropped and he gaped at her, his eyes popping out of his head 'your…how?'

Morgana smirked 'I'm sure I don't have to explain how in fine detail, Merlin'

Merlin blushed then grinned 'just to rest your fears, I'm not angry with you for not telling me…out of interest is it a boy or a girl?'

Morgana smiled 'do you have a preference?'

Merlin smiled and kissed her tenderly 'as long as they're as beautiful as you'

Arthur grinned at the two embracing couples and glanced down at Eleanor just as Morgana turned to him and said 'all that remains now is for Gwen to tell you she's pregnant'. Arthur's head jerked up and everyone burst out laughing at the look on his face.

When her laughing fit had subsided Morgana wiped her eyes and said 'it's a joke Arthur. You know what a joke is right? Something that is said by someone with a sense of humour?'

Arthur glowered at her, then uttered a mocking groan, 'I pray to god that your child doesn't inherit your sarcastic nature Morgana'

* * *

_**so what do you think?**_

_**do you hate me for killing off Mordred? if so, i am sorry but i was not going to have him growing up to kill Arthur and i could think of no other option. Also in the case of Nimueh i wanted to have a way that would stop her from killing anyone else, without having someone kill her, as i brought her back in the story it seemed silly to just kill her off again. **_

_**if you are wondering what happened to Nimueh all i will tell you is that she has gone for now to nurse her wounds and deal with the loss of her powers, but she isnt reformed yet...**_

_**did you like the way i had Morgana and Morgause tell their loves they were pregnant? please let me know!**_

_**by the way i am still looking for names for their children!**_

_**there will be one more chapter for you to read after this one...**_


	18. Epilogue

_**and now here we come as we must to the end of this story... I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT ITS OVER! *bursts into tears and sobs for several minutes* ok i'm alright now its just so hard to believe especially since i thought that i woundn't complete this story at one point.**_

_**i would like to thank you all for reading this story, and to those of you who reviewed THANK YOU! it really helped me to continue :) even those of you who simply added me to story alerts, that helped too! :)**_

_**special thanks to Megagalvatron12, Coffee King, Nobody Knows and Passion Dies, who have stuck with me from the beginning and to all you others (dont think i dont appreciate you too!)**_

_**anyway enough chatter, on to the end...**_

* * *

_**Chapter 17 ~ Epilogue **_

_**5 years later…**_

'And so they came back to Camelot, all of you were born and they lived happily ever after…' Eleanor finished her story with a smile as the children seated cross legged in front of her burst into cheers and whoops, a reaction that was always induced at the conclusion of the story, no matter how many times she told it. That fact didn't exactly surprise her though; it was their parent's story.

Watching them, the thought crossed her mind, as it so often had, of how much like their parents the children were, even at a young age. Her eyes swept over them in turn, marvelling at the similarities to the elder generation.

There were five of them, two girls and three boys. Sitting at the edge of the group was a young girl who resembled almost exactly a miniature version of Morgana, with her black tresses and fine features, except for her eyes, which were the same midnight blue as Merlin's.

The girl cross-legged beside her had inherited her cascading golden curls from her mother, as well as her large eyes and angelic face, yet her eyes were the same intense brown as her father's and her skin was an almost honey colour.

The boy beside her was two years younger than his five-year-old sister, and he had the same raven hair as her. The boy resembled his father greatly, though the shape of his face was more refined and his ears lay closer to his head, and his green eyes were his mother's.

The boy sitting beside him was the same age and would have been impossible to mistake for anyone other than Lancelot's son. Even at a young age he had his father's handsome features, as well as the general build of his body; lean and muscular. His tousled hair was a light chestnut colour and his eyes were a soft brown, framed by the sort of long lashes that most women would kill for.

The boy sitting on the other edge of the group was older than the two boys, but younger than the girls. With his tall stature, blonde hair and slightly mischievous grin it was painstakingly obvious that he was Arthur's son. His skin was darker than his father's, yet fairer than his mother's, a rich bronze that showed off his deep brown eyes.

The Crown Prince grew suddenly sombre and said, in a clear mocking voice, 'well the world did suffer after that, as unfortunately the advisors children did inherit their mother's sarcasm, made worse by the fact that the son couldn't tell the difference between a quill and a stick'

The raven-haired boy stopped laughing, drew himself up to his full height, and said in a pitying tone 'and Camelot was cursed with a Prince whose intelligence matched that of a gnats, as his brain was the size of a pea'

The other boy stood and stretched, putting on a dim expression and puffing out his small chest 'my name is Daniel; I am the Crown Prince of Camelot! All must fear me and obey, for I am superior to all with my enormous bonehead!'

The others burst into uncontrollable laughter as the boy swaggered arrogantly about the room; his chest thrown out and his chin lifted to the ceiling, swinging an imaginary sword around 'fear my pig-headishness!' he shouted in mock anger

Daniel sniffed disdainfully 'at least _I _inherited my father's sword fighting skills, you four couldn't swing a sword if your lives depended on it!'

'Could so!' shouted the other children, leaping forward and tackling the Prince.

Eleanor leaned back on her hands and shifted closer to the roaring fire behind her, grinning as the children fell about with squeals and shouts of laughter, raven and golden hair flying wildly, limbs tangled until it was hard to tell who was who. She watched as they rolled about on the floor, no longer ganging up on the young Prince but grappling with each other in an attempt to subdue the others. Eventually the struggling stopped and they lay in a tangled heap, the Prince on the bottom and the others stacked on top.

The door opened and Eleanor tore her eyes away from the tangled heap as first Merlin, Morgana, Morgause and Lancelot, followed by Arthur and Gwen entered the room. Gwen was cradling a small bundle in her arms, its occupants hidden from view by a think blanket. As the six adults moved towards their children, Helena and Jason entered the room. Eleanor smiled at her parents before turning back to watch as the children jumped up and threw them selves one by one at their parents.

The brown-eyed boy tackled his father's legs and Lancelot gave a mock cry of despair, falling over and laughing as the three–year–old boy scrambled onto his chest. Lancelot smiled at his son and ruffled his all ready wild hair 'you got me Alexander'

At the same time the golden-haired girl had jumped forward towards Morgause, soaring through the air with an unnatural grace, who caught her in mid air and spun her around, her high clear laughter mingling with her daughters musical chime. Morgause hitched the girl up onto her hip and tweaked her nose 'your getting better at that Evelyn, next time you might catch me off guard'

Evelyn grinned at her mother then reached up under her arm and tickled her. Morgause let go of her with a whoop and dropped her lightly to the ground. Evelyn ran over to her father and joined her brother in sitting on Lancelot's chest. Lancelot grinned and sat up suddenly, bowling both children off him, grabbed both around their waists and stood up, carrying them under his arms and ignoring their kicks and squeals of mirth.

Meanwhile Morgana and Merlin were being ambushed by their own children. The young girl ran up to Merlin and jumped, flying into his arms and knocking the breath out of him. He laughed and swung her up onto his shoulders saying 'I'm overjoyed to see you too, Malika, but maybe don't wind me so badly next time'

Morgana moved towards them holding the young boy in her arms and floated up off the ground so that she could kiss Malika on the cheek 'well Balinor nearly bowled me over, their getting quite big now'

'I don't know who they get their strength from' said Arthur, who was pretending to wrestle with Daniel 'as Merlin used to struggle to lift a bucket of water'

'Hmm yes, you see I had to help Arthur take a bath, he was too dim to figure out how to do it by himself' said Merlin, winking at Daniel, who giggled

Gwen rolled her eyes and grinned at Helena 'you would think they would have learned to get along by now' beneath her exasperation, there was an amusement and fondness that only Gwen could show.

Helena winked at her then said in a falsely sweet voice 'its their way of saying that they love each other' her statement was received with a disgusted expression from the two in question followed by a gagging sound.

Eleanor smiled, not only had the second generation inherited their parent's looks, but also their sibling rivalry. Malika, Evelyn, Balinor and Alexander had also received their parents magical powers, the two girls, being the eldest, were already practised at using it, while the boys had only just begun to show signs of it. Each child also had a certain natural skill when it came to sword fighting, and they always argued about which of their parents were the best at it.

Eleanor glanced at the bundle of blankets that Gwen was cradling to her chest then got up. She walked over to the queen of Camelot and held her hands out questioningly. Gwen smiled and gently deposited the precious bundle into Eleanor's small arms. Sitting cross—legged in front of the fire, Eleanor gazed down at the sleeping babies face. The child's skin was the same shade as her brothers and her face resembled her mothers greatly, even the lock of hair poking out from beneath the folds was a dark tight curl. As if sensing that she was being watched the baby opened brilliant blue eyes and gazed at Eleanor curiously. Eleanor gently patted the girl's nose and smiled fondly, speaking in a soft voice 'you shouldn't stare at people Dawn, its not polite, and nothing much good ever comes of it' she grinned ' I suppose you want to see it again?'

Dawn blinked owlishly and Eleanor put her index finger and thumb in front of the young princesses face and clicked them. A small flame popped into existence on the tip of her thumb. Dawn's wide eyes grew round. The flame began to twist in on itself and it grew slightly larger. After a moment it flared sharply and changed, becoming a delicate flower head, the colour of pale pink, or the distant horizon, just as the sun pokes its face over the rim to mark a new day.

Dawn's small cubby face split into a wide grin and she gurgled in a pleased way. Eleanor tucked the small steam of the flower behind Dawn's ear, and fiddled absentmindedly with the babies curls for a moment, before looking up. She had an audience. The children were crowding around and watching with awe filled expressions. Though they had seen Merlin, Morgana and Morgause, not to mention Jason and Helena, perform magic before, especially as the four apprentice magicians were beginning to learn about their magic, they didn't see it as often as their simply curiosity would satisfy. In fact Merlin, Morgana and Morgause used it mostly in private, as they were still learning how to control their newfound power.

Feeling slightly self-conscience Eleanor rose and handed the small child back to her mother, who gently deposited her in a small wicker crib standing close to the chairs surrounding the fire.

By this time the adults watching them had settled themselves into the wooden, fur covered two seater chairs that surrounded the crackling fire. Seated wrapped in their spouses arms, each parent was watching their child with a small smile, seeing so much of themselves in the sprawling children.

After a moment Lancelot asked in a sleepy way 'what were you all doing before we barged in so impolitely?' he was leaning against the back of the chair and his arm was wrapped around his wife's shoulders, Morgause's head resting on his broad chest, her hair splayed over his chest and torso like a shinny downy coat. The warmth of the room, together with the day's exercise of practicing magic, sparing and riding in the twilight, was slowly sending the adults into a soporific state. Across from them, Morgana, curled up against Merlin, was barely able to keep her eyes open.

The children glanced at each other for a moment then Evelyn said 'Eleanor was telling us Your Story' the way she said the words clearly gave the impression of capitals, of great importance.

Arthur, his arm securely around Gwen, blinked lazily 'and did you like the way she told the story, Evy? Did you all?'

The children nodded and Malika said 'its interesting…and entertaining', their movements were neither as quick nor energetic as before, as their ceaseless energy was finally running out.

They settled down on the woollen rug beneath them, leaning against each other as Jason said 'I don't think any of us have heard that story' his arm was around Helena, and he rubbed his thumb in a slow circular motion on her shoulder, watching his daughter blush slightly.

Morgause smiled drowsily 'I don't think we have…I've always wanted to hear that story' she punctuated her sentence with a wide yawn, before settling back into Lancelot's arms as he kissed her forehead.

Morgana glanced at Eleanor 'would you mind telling the story again?'

Eleanor looked at the younger children, whose eyes were drifting open and shut as they tried to stay awake and said 'if you don't mind hearing it again…' the children shook their heads and put on alert expressions, even as their eyes closed, as Eleanor began her story again.

* * *

Morgana woke with a start. The room was dim, the only light coming from the dieing fire, only just strong enough to light up the sleeping family. Morgana frowned, as she wasn't entirely sure what had woken her, and then realised that Eleanor had stopped talking.

Eleanor was curled up in front of the fire like a cat, her long hair splayed out like a fan behind her. Beside her was a small heap of children, who Morgana couldn't identify in the light.

Morgana leaned forward slightly to get a better look and became aware of the weight on her lap. She glanced down and smiled. Malika was fast asleep in her lap, her head resting on her arm and her foot hanging off the edge of the chair. Her dark hair was lying across her face and moved gently as she breathed. She glanced at Merlin and her smile grew wider as she saw that Balinor was curled up peacefully in his fathers lap, his legs hanging over the arm of the chair, and his head resting near his sisters.

Looking over at the children near the fire again Morgana finally understood what she was looking at. Evelyn and Daniel were lying side by side, their legs pulled up slightly so that their knees touched and one of their arms under their heads. Their other hand, Evelyn's left and Daniel's right, were lying between them, their fingertips touching slightly. They were facing each other and their heads were touching, the fire casting a warm glow over them, turning their almost identical hair auburn, then gold, then an array of fiery colours. They looked like a pair of sleeping angles and reminded Morgana so much of herself and Arthur when they had been children that her eyes briefly filmed over with tears.

Blinking she moved her eyes to the rest of her family. Closest to the children, Helena and Jason were fast asleep; Helena curled up against Jason, whose head was resting atop hers. They were both smiling in their sleep and both radiated a certain serenity that made Morgana smile.

Close by them, Arthur and Gwen were dozing peacefully in each other's arms. One of Arthur's arms was wrapped around Gwen and the other was hanging over the side of the chair, so that his hand was dangling into the wicker basket. Looking closely, Morgana was able to see that Dawn was gripping his pinkie tightly in her sleep.

In the next chair, Morgause and Lancelot were wrapped in each other's arms, oblivious to the rest of the world. Lancelot's arm was draped across Morgause's shoulders and his chin was resting on her head, which was lying on his broad shoulder. One of Morgause's hands was resting on Lancelot's chest and they looked just as in love as ever. A spark jumped in the fire and the shadows leapt back for a second, to reveal that what Morgana had originally mistaken for an odd shaped shadow in their laps was in fact a sleeping Alexander. He lay draped across both his parents' laps with his head in his mother's and in sleep it was even easier to see the striking similarities between him and his parents. Morgause's hand was resting on her son's shoulder and Lancelot's hand was resting over hers, their fingers intertwined.

Morgana leaned back into Merlin, suddenly over whelmed by the picture of love and warmth. Merlin stirred and murmured quietly 'you alright, love?'

She nodded and said thickly 'its just a bit overwhelming, you know? I mean only five years ago I would have said this would have been impossible'

Merlin kissed her forehead and gave her a slight squeeze 'that's what makes it all the more special'

Morgana smiled then closed her eyes, saying 'it's a pity I fell asleep, I really did want to hear how Eleanor ended the story'

Merlin shifted slightly and said 'I didn't fall asleep til after…I'll tell you how she ended it if you like'

Morgana nodded and Merlin whispered in her ear. Morgana smiled and let out a contented sigh, allowing her body to relax into Merlin's and her eyes to drift close. Merlin's breathing grew slow and even and Morgana found soon found herself drifting off as well.

Opening her eyes, she gazed upon the sight of her family once more, then closed her eyes and smiled, whispering those last words to herself contentedly, even as she fell asleep, 'and they all lived happily ever after'.

And they did…

_~The End~_

* * *

**_its over! *bursts into tears again*..._**

**_anyway, to all of you that reviewed with name ideas i thank you and i am sorry to those of you whose name i didnt use, thank you anyway!_**

**____****PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS CHAP, AND HOW I DEPICTED THE CHILDREN!**

**_by the way here it a bit of info about the kids:_**

_Malika - Queen (name from VampireBabyGirl) - is five. _

_Balinor is three._

_Evelyn - means light (it seemed to somehow suit Lancelot and Morgause's child) - is five. _

_Alexander - means Protecter (it seemed to suit the son of the only two people to have ever beaten Arthur in a sword fight) - is three._

_Daniel - (name from happieface03)  
_

_Dawn (name from Dawn Ruthless) is about a year old._

_**again thank you to all you readers!**_

_**PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS CHAP, AND HOW I DEPICTED THE CHILDREN!**_

_**by the way, to those of you who are interested, i am not sure if there will be a sequel, it depends on how well this chapter is received (you can tell me by pressing the button below! :) )**  
_


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